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Sample records for rainwater harvesting system

  1. Rainwater harvesting - An investigation into the potential for rainwater harvesting in Bradford

    OpenAIRE

    Doncaster, S.; Blanksby, J.; Shepherd, W.

    2012-01-01

    This report provides a brief review of rainwater harvesting and rainwater harvesting tools, which are then used in case study examples for domestic, office block and warehouse rain water harvesting scenarios. Rainwater harvesting is placed in an historical context as a source of water supply and in a modern context as being complementary to centralised water distribution networks with benefits for wider water management including flood risk treatment as well as providing environmental and eco...

  2. Rooftop level rainwater harvesting system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traboulsi, Hayssam; Traboulsi, Marwa

    2017-05-01

    Unfortunately, in Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East region, water becomes scarcer than ever before, and over the last decades the demand on domestic water has increased due to population and economic growth. Although rainwater harvesting is considered to be a safe and reliable alternative source for domestic water, the inconvenience or impracticalities related to the cost and space needed for the construction of ground or underground storage tanks makes this practice not widely common in rural areas and rarely implemented in urban cities. This paper introduces a new technique to rainwater harvesting which can be easily used in both rural and urban areas: it collects and stores rainwater directly in tanks already installed on building roofs and not necessarily in special ground or underground ones. If widely adopted in Lebanon, this technique could help in: (1) collecting around 23 MCM (70 % of the current deficit in the domestic water supply) of rainwater and thus increasing the available water per m2 of building by 0.4 m3 per year, (2) saving around 7 % of the amount of electric energy usually needed to pump water from an aquifer well and ground or underground tank, and (3) considerably reducing the rate of surface runoff of rainwater at the coastal zones where rainwater is not captured at all and goes directly to the sea.

  3. Design and Modeling of an Adaptively Controlled Rainwater Harvesting System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Roman

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Management of urban stormwater to mitigate Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs is a priority for many cities; yet, few truly innovative approaches have been proposed to address the problem. Recent advances in information technology are now, however, providing cost-effective opportunities to achieve better performance of conventional stormwater infrastructure through a Continuous Monitoring and Adaptive Control (CMAC approach. The primary objective of this study was to demonstrate that a CMAC approach can be applied to a conventional rainwater harvesting system in New York City to improve performance by minimizing discharge to the combined sewer during rainfall events, reducing water use for irrigation of local vegetation, and optimizing vegetation health. To achieve this objective, a hydrologic and hydraulic model was developed for a planned and designed rainwater harvesting system to explore multiple potential scenarios prior to the system’s actual construction. Model results indicate that the CMAC rainwater harvesting system is expected to provide significant performance improvements over conventional rainwater harvesting systems. The CMAC system is expected to capture and retain 76.6% of roof runoff per year on average, as compared to just 14.8% and 41.3% for conventional moisture and timer based systems, respectively. Similarly, the CMAC system is expected to use 81.4% and 18.0% less harvested rainwater than conventional moisture and timer based irrigation approaches, respectively. The flexibility of the CMAC approach to meet competing objectives is promising for widespread implementation in New York City and other heavily urbanized areas challenged by stormwater management issues.

  4. Elemental composition at different points of the rainwater harvesting system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrow, A.C.; Dunstan, R.H.; Coombes, P.J.

    2010-01-01

    Entry of contaminants, such as metals and non-metals, into rainwater harvesting systems can occur directly from rainfall with contributions from collection surfaces, accumulated debris and leachate from storage systems, pipes and taps. Ten rainwater harvesting systems on the east coast of Australia were selected for sampling of roof runoff, storage systems and tap outlets to investigate the variations in rainwater composition as it moved throughout the system, and to identify potential points of contribution to elemental loads. A total of 26 elements were screened at each site. Iron was the only element which was present in significantly higher concentrations in roof runoff samples compared with tank tap samples (P < 0.05). At one case study site, results suggested that piping and tap material can contribute to contaminant loads of harvested rainwater. Increased loads of copper were observed in hot tap samples supplied by the rainwater harvesting system via copper piping and a storage hot water system (P < 0.05). Similarly, zinc, lead, arsenic, strontium and molybdenum were significantly elevated in samples collected from a polyvinyl chloride pipe sampling point that does not supply household uses, compared with corresponding roof runoff samples (P < 0.05). Elemental composition was also found to vary significantly between the tank tap and an internal cold tap at one of the sites investigated, with several elements fluctuating significantly between the two outlets of interest at this site, including potassium, zinc, manganese, barium, copper, vanadium, chromium and arsenic. These results highlighted the variability in the elemental composition of collected rainwater between different study sites and between different sampling points. Atmospheric deposition was not a major contributor to the rainwater contaminant load at the sites tested. Piping materials, however, were shown to contribute significantly to the total elemental load at some locations.

  5. Risk Analysis Approach to Rainwater Harvesting Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadia Ursino

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Urban rainwater reuse preserves water resources and promotes sustainable development in rapidly growing urban areas. The efficiency of a large number of urban water reuse systems, operating under different climate and demand conditions, is evaluated here on the base of a new risk analysis approach. Results obtained by probability analysis (PA indicate that maximum efficiency in low demanding scenarios is above 0.5 and a threshold, distinguishing low from high demanding scenarios, indicates that in low demanding scenarios no significant improvement in performance may be attained by increasing the storage capacity of rainwater harvesting tanks. Threshold behaviour is displayed when tank storage capacity is designed to match both the average collected volume and the average reuse volume. The low demand limit cannot be achieved under climate and operating conditions characterized by a disproportion between harvesting and demand volume.

  6. Designing domestic rainwater harvesting systems under different climatic regimes in Italy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campisano, A; Gnecco, I; Modica, C; Palla, A

    2013-01-01

    Nowadays domestic rainwater harvesting practices are recognized as effective tools to improve the sustainability of drainage systems within the urban environment, by contributing to limiting the demand for potable water and, at the same time, by mitigating the generation of storm water runoff at the source. The final objective of this paper is to define regression curves to size domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) systems in the main Italian climatic regions. For this purpose, the Köppen-Geiger climatic classification is used and, furthermore, suitable precipitation sites are selected for each climatic region. A behavioural model is implemented to assess inflow, outflow and change in storage volume of a rainwater harvesting system according to daily mass balance simulations based on historical rainfall observations. The performance of the DRWH system under various climate and operational conditions is examined as a function of two non-dimensional parameters, namely the demand fraction (d) and the modified storage fraction (sm). This last parameter allowed the evaluation of the effects of the rainfall intra-annual variability on the system performance.

  7. Rainwater harvesting and management in rainfed agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa - A review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biazin, Birhanu; Sterk, Geert; Temesgen, Melesse; Abdulkedir, Abdu; Stroosnijder, Leo

    Agricultural water scarcity in the predominantly rainfed agricultural system of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is more related to the variability of rainfall and excessive non-productive losses, than the total annual precipitation in the growing season. Less than 15% of the terrestrial precipitation takes the form of productive ‘green’ transpiration. Hence, rainwater harvesting and management (RWHM) technologies hold a significant potential for improving rainwater-use efficiency and sustaining rainfed agriculture in the region. This paper outlines the various RWHM techniques being practiced in SSA, and reviews recent research results on the performance of selected practices. So far, micro-catchment and in situ rainwater harvesting techniques are more common than rainwater irrigation techniques from macro-catchment systems. Depending on rainfall patterns and local soil characteristics, appropriate application of in situ and micro-catchment techniques could improve the soil water content of the rooting zone by up to 30%. Up to sixfold crop yields have been obtained through combinations of rainwater harvesting and fertiliser use, as compared to traditional practices. Supplemental irrigation of rainfed agriculture through rainwater harvesting not only reduces the risk of total crop failure due to dry spells, but also substantially improves water and crop productivity. Depending on the type of crop and the seasonal rainfall pattern, the application of RWHM techniques makes net profits more possible, compared to the meagre profit or net loss of existing systems. Implementation of rainwater harvesting may allow cereal-based smallholder farmers to shift to diversified crops, hence improving household food security, dietary status, and economic return. The much needed green revolution and adaptations to climate change in SSA should blend rainwater harvesting ideals with agronomic principles. More efforts are needed to improve the indigenous practices, and to disseminate best

  8. Problems and countermeasures on the safety of rainwater harvesting for drinking in China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Laisheng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available China is increasingly confronted with serious water shortages, so rainwater harvesting and utilization have gradually received attention with advantages such as accessibility, simple operation and low cost. The harvested rainwater can be used for drinking, irrigation, municipal greening, etc., and when applied for drinking, the demand for water quality is highest. Most existing researches have put their focus on improving the accumulation of rainwater, but there is a lack of in-depth studies on how to enhance the quality of rainwater. Based on the above considerations, this paper, by summing up the situation of rainwater harvesting and utilization in China, has systematically analyzed the system components of rainwater harvesting for drinking, i.e., the consisting units of rainwater harvesting, delivering, processing and accumulating. It also explains the sources of rainwater pollution and how to deal with it. Considering that the water harvesting system can make a contribution to the society and public welfare, this paper proposes a framework of participatory management for projects of rainwater harvesting for drinking.

  9. Establishment of sustainable water supply system in small islands through rainwater harvesting (RWH): case study of Guja-do.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Mooyoung; Ki, Jaehong

    2010-01-01

    Many islands in Korea have problems related to water source security and supply. In particular, the water supply condition is worse in small islands which are remote from the mainland. A couple of alternatives are developed and suggested to supply water to islands including water hauling, groundwater extraction, and desalination. However, these alternatives require much energy, cost, and concern in installation and operation. Rainwater harvesting is a sustainable option that supplies water with low energy and cost. However, lack of practical or comprehensive studies on rainwater harvesting systems in these regions hinders the promotion of the system. Therefore, this research examines defects of current RWH systems on an existing island, Guja-do, and provides technical suggestions in quantitative and qualitative aspects. A simple system design modification and expansion of system capacity using empty space such as a wharf structure can satisfy both the qualitative and the quantitative water demand of the island. Since rainwater harvesting is estimated to be a feasible water supply option under the Korean climate, which is an unfavorable condition for rainwater harvesting, implies a high potential applicability of rainwater harvesting technology to other regions over the world suffering from water shortage.

  10. Investigation of pump and pump switch failures in rainwater harvesting systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moglia, Magnus; Gan, Kein; Delbridge, Nathan; Sharma, Ashok K.; Tjandraatmadja, Grace

    2016-07-01

    Rainwater harvesting is an important technology in cities that can contribute to a number of functions, such as sustainable water management in the face of demand growth and drought as well as the detention of rainwater to increase flood protection and reduce damage to waterways. The objective of this article is to investigate the integrity of residential rainwater harvesting systems, drawing on the results of the field inspection of 417 rainwater systems across Melbourne that was combined with a survey of householders' situation, maintenance behaviour and attitudes. Specifically, the study moves beyond the assumption that rainwater systems are always operational and functional and draws on the collected data to explore the various reasons and rates of failure associated with pumps and pump switches, leaving for later further exploration of the failure in other components such as the collection area, gutters, tank, and overflows. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no data like this in academic literature or in the water sector. Straightforward Bayesian Network models were constructed in order to analyse the factors contributing to various types of failures, including system age, type of use, the reason for installation, installer, and maintenance behaviour. Results show that a number of issues commonly exist, such as failure of pumps (5% of systems), automatic pump switches that mediate between the tank and reticulated water (9% of systems), and systems with inadequate setups (i.e. no pump) limiting their use. In conclusion, there appears to be a lack of enforcement or quality controls in both installation practices by sometimes unskilled contractors and lack of ongoing maintenance checks. Mechanisms for quality control and asset management are required, but difficult to promote or enforce. Further work is needed into how privately owned assets that have public benefits could be better managed.

  11. Life Cycle Impact Assessment of a Rainwater Harvesting System Compared with an A/C Condensate System

    Science.gov (United States)

    This study reviewed U.S. commercial buildings to design a decentralized rooftop rainwater harvesting (RWH) system and air-conditioning (AC) condensate harvesting (ACH) system for non-potable use. RWH systems were designed for one-to multi-story buildings selected from each of th...

  12. A Review of Roof Harvested Rainwater in Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chirhakarhula E. Chubaka

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available To address concern regarding water sustainability, the Australian Federal Government and many state governments have implemented regulatory mechanisms and incentives to support households to purchase and install rainwater harvesting systems. This has led to an increase in rainwater harvesting in regional and urban Australia. This review examines the implementation of the regulatory mechanisms across Australia. In addition, the literature investigating the potential health consequences of rainwater consumption in Australia was explored. Studies demonstrated that although trace metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and iron were present in Australian rainwater, these metallic elements were generally found below the health limit guideline, except in high industrial areas. In addition, pathogenic or indicator microorganisms that include, but are not limited to, Escherichia coli, total and faecal coliforms, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Legionella, Pseudomonas, Cryptosporidium, Enterococci, Giardia, Aeromonas, and Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC have been detected in rainwater collected in Australia. However, epidemiological evidence suggests that drinking rainwater does not increase the risk of gastrointestinal disease. It was also identified that there is a need for further research investigating the potential for rainwater to be a source of infection for opportunistic pathogens.

  13. Determinants of rainwater harvesting technology (RWHT) adoption ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2014-11-26

    Nov 26, 2014 ... study evaluated the determinants of farmers' decisions to adopt rainwater harvesting technology ... adoption of RWHT in the study area. ... In South Africa, agriculture involves large numbers of ... Study area and data collection ..... study in rainwater harvesting: A 2011 perspective. ... Kluwer Academic.

  14. Rainwater harvesting potential for farming system development in a hilly watershed of Bangladesh

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tariqul Islam, Md.; Mohabbat Ullah, Md.; Mostofa Amin, M. G.; Hossain, Sahadat

    2017-09-01

    Water resources management is an important part in farming system development. Agriculture in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh is predominantly rainfed with an average 2210 mm monsoonal rain, but rainfall during dry winter period (December-February) is inadequate for winter crop production. The natural soil water content (as low as 7 %) of hillslope and hilltop during the dry season is not suitable for shallow-rooted crop cultivation. A study was conducted to investigate the potential of monsoonal rainwater harvesting and its impact on local cropping system development. Irrigation facilities provided by the managed rainwater harvesting reservoir increased research site's cropping intensity from 155 to 300 %. Both gravity flow irrigation of valley land and low lift pumping to hillslope and hilltop from rainwater harvesting reservoir were much more economical compared to forced mode pumping of groundwater because of the installation and annual operating cost of groundwater pumping. To abstract 7548 m3 of water, equivalent to the storage capacity of the studied reservoirs, from aquifer required 2174 kWh energy. The improved water supply system enabled triple cropping system for valley land and permanent horticultural intervention at hilltop and hillslope. The perennial vegetation in hilltop and hillslope would also conserve soil moisture. Water productivity and benefit-cost ratio analysis show that vegetables and fruit production were more profitable than rice cultivation under irrigation with harvested rainwater. Moreover, the reservoir showed potentiality of integrated farming in such adverse area by facilitating fish production. The study provides water resource managers and government officials working with similar problems with valuable information for formulation of plan, policy, and strategy.

  15. Assessment of rainwater harvesting potential using GIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hari, Durgasrilakshmi; Ramamohan Reddy, K.; Vikas, Kola; Srinivas, N.; Vikas, G.

    2018-03-01

    Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is one of the best practices to overcome the scarcity of water. Rainwater harvesting involves collection and storage of rainwater locally through different technologies, for future use. It is also useful for livestock, groundwater recharge and for irrigation practices. Potential of rainwater harvesting refers to the capacity of an individual catchment that harnesses the water falling on the catchment during a particular year considering all rainy days. The present study deals with the identification of the study area boundary and marking it as a Polygon in Google Earth Pro Later, Rooftops of various house entities and roads were digitized using the Polygon command in Google Earth Pro. GIS technique is employed for locating boundaries of the study area and for calculating the areas of various types of rooftops and roads. With the application of GIS, it is possible to assess the total potential of water that can be harvested. The present study will enable us to identify the suitable type of water harvesting structure along with the number of structures required. It is extremely an ideal and effective solution to overcome the water crisis through water conservation in the study area.

  16. Rainwater harvesting in arid and semi-arid zones

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boers, T.M.

    1994-01-01

    In arid and semi-arid regions, the scarcity of water can be alleviated by rainwater harvesting, which is defined as a method of inducing, collecting, storing, and conserving local surface runoff for agriculture. Rainwater harvesting can be applied with different

  17. The effect of roofing material on the quality of harvested rainwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendez, Carolina B; Klenzendorf, J Brandon; Afshar, Brigit R; Simmons, Mark T; Barrett, Michael E; Kinney, Kerry A; Kirisits, Mary Jo

    2011-02-01

    Due to decreases in the availability and quality of traditional water resources, harvested rainwater is increasingly used for potable and non-potable purposes. In this study, we examined the effect of conventional roofing materials (i.e., asphalt fiberglass shingle, Galvalume(®) metal, and concrete tile) and alternative roofing materials (i.e., cool and green) on the quality of harvested rainwater. Results from pilot-scale and full-scale roofs demonstrated that rainwater harvested from any of these roofing materials would require treatment if the consumer wanted to meet United States Environmental Protection Agency primary and secondary drinking water standards or non-potable water reuse guidelines; at a minimum, first-flush diversion, filtration, and disinfection are recommended. Metal roofs are commonly recommended for rainwater harvesting applications, and this study showed that rainwater harvested from metal roofs tends to have lower concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria as compared to other roofing materials. However, concrete tile and cool roofs produced harvested rainwater quality similar to that from the metal roofs, indicating that these roofing materials also are suitable for rainwater harvesting applications. Although the shingle and green roofs produced water quality comparable in many respects to that from the other roofing materials, their dissolved organic carbon concentrations were very high (approximately one order of magnitude higher than what is typical for a finished drinking water in the United States), which might lead to high concentrations of disinfection byproducts after chlorination. Furthermore the concentrations of some metals (e.g., arsenic) in rainwater harvested from the green roof suggest that the quality of commercial growing media should be carefully examined if the harvested rainwater is being considered for domestic use. Hence, roofing material is an important consideration when designing a rainwater catchment. Copyright

  18. Efficiency of a closed-coupled solar pasteurization system in treating roof harvested rainwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobrowsky, P H; Carstens, M; De Villiers, J; Cloete, T E; Khan, W

    2015-12-01

    Many studies have concluded that roof harvested rainwater is susceptible to chemical and microbial contamination. The aim of the study was thus to conduct a preliminary investigation into the efficiency of a closed-coupled solar pasteurization system in reducing the microbiological load in harvested rainwater and to determine the change in chemical components after pasteurization. The temperature of the pasteurized tank water samples collected ranged from 55 to 57°C, 64 to 66°C, 72 to 74°C, 78 to 81°C and 90 to 91°C. Cations analyzed were within drinking water guidelines, with the exception of iron [195.59 μg/L (55°C)-170.1 μg/L (91°C)], aluminum [130.98 μg/L (78°C)], lead [12.81 μg/L (55°C)-13.2 μg/L (91°C)] and nickel [46.43 μg/L (55°C)-32.82 μg/L (78°C)], which were detected at levels above the respective guidelines in the pasteurized tank water samples. Indicator bacteria including, heterotrophic bacteria, Escherichia coli and total coliforms were reduced to below the detection limit at pasteurization temperatures of 72°C and above. However, with the use of molecular techniques Yersinia spp., Legionella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were detected in tank water samples pasteurized at temperatures greater than 72°C. The viability of the bacteria detected in this study at the higher temperature ranges should thus be assessed before pasteurized harvested rainwater is used as a potable water source. In addition, it is recommended that the storage tank of the pasteurization system be constructed from an alternative material, other than stainless steel, in order for a closed-coupled pasteurization system to be implemented and produce large quantities of potable water from roof harvested rainwater. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Comparison of the chemical quality of rainwater harvested from roof ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2018-04-02

    Apr 2, 2018 ... 4, place Jussieu 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France ... Keywords: rainwater harvesting, roof-harvested rainwater, pollution, human health, food security, ... Received 18 December 2015; accepted in revised form 26 March 2018.

  20. Life cycle assessment of a commercial rainwater harvesting system compared with a municipal water supply system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Building upon previously published life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, we conducted an LCA of a commercial rainwater harvesting (RWH) system and compared it to a municipal water supply (MWS) system adapted to Washington, D.C. Eleven life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) indi...

  1. Acceptability of the rainwater harvesting system to the slum dwellers of Dhaka City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, M M; Chou, F N-F; Kabir, M R

    2010-01-01

    Urban area like Dhaka City, in Bangladesh, has scarcity of safe drinking water which is one of the prominent basic needs for human kind. This study explored the acceptability of harvested rainwater in a densely populated city like Dhaka, using a simple and low cost technology. A total of 200 random people from four slums of water-scarce Dhaka City were surveyed to determine the dwellers' perception on rainwater and its acceptability as a source of drinking water. The questionnaire was aimed at finding the socio-economic condition and the information on family housing, sanitation, health, existing water supply condition, knowledge about rainwater, willingness to accept rainwater as a drinking source etc. A Yield before Spillage (YBS) model was developed to know the actual rainwater availability and storage conditions which were used to justify the effective tank size. Cost-benefit analysis and feasibility analysis were performed using the survey results and the research findings. The survey result and overall study found that the low cost rainwater harvesting technique was acceptable to the slum dwellers as only the potential alternative source of safe drinking water.

  2. Uncertainty analysis of daily potable water demand on the performance evaluation of rainwater harvesting systems in residential buildings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Arthur Santos; Ghisi, Enedir

    2016-09-15

    The objective of this paper is to perform a sensitivity analysis of design variables and an uncertainty analysis of daily potable water demand to evaluate the performance of rainwater harvesting systems in residential buildings. Eight cities in Brazil with different rainfall patterns were analysed. A numeric experiment was performed by means of computer simulation of rainwater harvesting. A sensitivity analysis was performed using variance-based indices for identifying the most important design parameters for rainwater harvesting systems when assessing the potential for potable water savings and underground tank capacity sizing. The uncertainty analysis was performed for different scenarios of potable water demand with stochastic variations in a normal distribution with different coefficients of variation throughout the simulated period. The results have shown that different design variables, such as potable water demand, number of occupants, rainwater demand, and roof area are important for obtaining the ideal underground tank capacity and estimating the potential for potable water savings. The stochastic variations on the potable water demand caused amplitudes of up to 4.8% on the potential for potable water savings and 9.4% on the ideal underground tank capacity. Average amplitudes were quite low for all cities. However, some combinations of parameters resulted in large amplitude of uncertainty and difference from uniform distribution for tank capacities and potential for potable water savings. Stochastic potable water demand generated low uncertainties in the performance evaluation of rainwater harvesting systems; therefore, uniform distribution could be used in computer simulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Sustainability of Rainwater Harvesting System in terms of Water Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sadia Rahman

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Water is considered an everlasting free source that can be acquired naturally. Demand for processed supply water is growing higher due to an increasing population. Sustainable use of water could maintain a balance between its demand and supply. Rainwater harvesting (RWH is the most traditional and sustainable method, which could be easily used for potable and nonpotable purposes both in residential and commercial buildings. This could reduce the pressure on processed supply water which enhances the green living. This paper ensures the sustainability of this system through assessing several water-quality parameters of collected rainwater with respect to allowable limits. A number of parameters were included in the analysis: pH, fecal coliform, total coliform, total dissolved solids, turbidity, NH3–N, lead, BOD5, and so forth. The study reveals that the overall quality of water is quite satisfactory as per Bangladesh standards. RWH system offers sufficient amount of water and energy savings through lower consumption. Moreover, considering the cost for installation and maintenance expenses, the system is effective and economical.

  4. Effects of local and spatial conditions on the quality of harvested rainwater in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilbers, Gert-Jan; Sebesvari, Zita; Rechenburg, Andrea; Renaud, Fabrice G.

    2013-01-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the quality of harvested rainwater in the Mekong Delta (MD), Vietnam for local (roof types, storage system and duration) and spatial (proximity of industry, main roads, coastline) conditions. 78 harvested rainwater samples were collected in the MD and analyzed for pH, turbidity, TDS, COD, nutrients (NH 4 , NO 3 , NO 2 , o-PO 4 ), trace metals and coliforms. The results show that thatch roofs lead to an increase of pollutants like COD (max 23.2 mgl −1 ) and turbidity (max 10.1 mgl −1 ) whereas galvanized roofs lead to an increase of Zn (max 2.2 mgl −1 ). The other local and spatial parameters had no or only minor influence on the quality of household harvested rainwater. However, lead (Pb) (max. 16.9 μgl −1 ) and total coliforms (max. 102 500 CFU100 ml −1 ) were recorded at high concentrations, probably due to a variety of household-specific conditions such as rainwater storage, collection and handling practices. -- Highlights: •Rainwater is a main drinking water source in the Mekong Delta. •Harvested rainwater is severely polluted for turbidity, lead and (total) coliforms. •Roof types significantly affect the quality of harvested rainwater. •Effects of household conditions on harvested rainwater quality should be further assessed. •Harvested rainwater is in potential a safe drinking water resource in the Mekong Delta. -- Concentrations of lead and total coliforms in household-harvested rainwater in the Mekong Delta exceed drinking water guidelines in 17% and 92% of the samples, respectively

  5. Evaluating rainwater harvesting systems in arid and semi-arid regions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ammar, Adham Ali

    2017-01-01

    Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is an ancient traditional technology practised in many parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid regions (ASARs). ASARs represent 40% of the earth’s land surface and are characterised by low average annual rainfall and uneven temporal and spatial

  6. Monsoon Harvests: Assessing the Impact of Rainwater Harvesting Ponds on Subsistence-Level Agriculture in the Gundar Basin, Tamil Nadu, India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steiff, M.; Van Meter, K. J.; Basu, N. B.

    2013-12-01

    Lack of consistent water availability for irrigated agriculture is recognized as one of the primary constraints to meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals to alleviate hunger, and in semi-arid landscapes such as those of southern India, which are characterized by high intra-annual variability in rainfall, provision of capabilities for seasonal storage is recognized to be one of the key strategies towards alleviating water scarcity problems and ensuring food security. Although the issue of increased storage can be addressed by centralized infrastructure projects such as large-scale irrigation systems and dams, an alternative is the "soft path" approach, in which existing large-scale projects are complemented by small-scale, decentralized solutions. Such a decentralized approach has been utilized in southern India for thousands of years in the form of village rainwater harvesting tanks or ponds, providing a local and inherently sustainable approach to providing sufficient water for rice cultivation. Over the last century, however, large-scale canal projects and groundwater pumping have replaced rainwater harvesting as the primary source of irrigation water. But with groundwater withdrawals now exceeding recharge in many areas and water tables continuing to drop, many NGOs and government agencies are advocating for a revival of the older rainwater harvesting systems. Questions remain, however, regarding the limits to which rainwater harvesting can provide a solution to decades of water overexploitation. In the present work, we have utilized secondary data sources to analyze the linkages between the tank irrigation systems and the village communities that depend on them within the Gundar Basin of southern Tamil Nadu. Combining socioeconomic data with information regarding climate, land use, groundwater depletion, and tank density, we have developed indicators of sustainability for these systems. Using these indicators, we have attempted to unravel the close

  7. Review of Rainwater Harvesting Techniques and Evidence for their ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    individual farmer and the system is therefore sometimes known as 'an "illtemai cauhment" . ... Rainwater harvesting, runoff agriculture, soil-water conservation, micro- catchments .... tics,R~cent researdh in semi-arid areas o(sub- .... adjust their management to reflect differences ..... sustainable production by' ¢.e rural poor.

  8. Rainwater harvesting and green area retention potential detection using commercial unmanned aerial vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamnik, Rok; Grajfoner, Blanka; Butyrin, Andrey; Nekrep Perc, Matjaz

    2017-10-01

    The objective of this work is to use simple photogrammetry to evaluate rainwater harvesting and green area retention potential in Maribor, Slovenia city centre. Several sources of remote sensing data have been described and a field test with semi-professional drone was performed by means of computer evaluation of rainwater harvesting and green area retention potential. Some of the most important design parameters for rainwater harvesting systems as roof area and slope and available green areas were identified and evaluated. The results have shown that even semi-professional low budget drones can be successfully used for mapping areas of interest. The results of six-minute flight over twelve hectares of Maribor city centre were comparable with professional results of plane remote sensing. Image segmentation from orthomosaic together with elevation model has been used to detect roofs and green areas.

  9. Effect of Climate Change on Reliability of Rainwater Harvesting Systems for Kabarole District, Uganda

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Violet Kisakye

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper assesses the effect of climate change on reliability of rainwater harvesting systems for Kabarole district, Uganda, as predicted by 6 best performing global circulation models (GCMs. A daily water balance model was used to simulate the performance of a rainwater harvesting system using historical daily rainfall data for 20 years. The GCMs used to generate daily rainfall projections for 2025–2055 and 2060–2090 periods included; ACCESS1-0, BCC-CSM-1-M, CNRM-CM5, HADGEM2-CC, HADGEM2-ES and MIROC5. Analysis was based on the Ugandan weather seasons which included March, April, May (MAM and September, October, November (SON rain seasons in addition to December, January, February (DJF and June, July, August (JJA dry seasons. While an increase in reliability is predicted for the SON season, the worst-case scenario is projected during the MAM season with a reliability reduction of over 40% for the 2055–2090 period. This corresponds to a 27% reduction in water security for the same period. The DJF season is also expected to experience reduced water security by 1–8% for 2025–2055 and 2060–2090 with a 0.5 m3 tank size. Therefore, some form of extra harvesting surface and increased tank size will be required to maintain 80% systems reliability considering climate change.

  10. Potential of Rainwater Harvesting and Greywater Reuse for Water Consumption Reduction and Wastewater Minimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Ángel López Zavala

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Northeastern Mexico is a semiarid region with water scarcity and a strong pressure on water sources caused by the rapid increase of population and industrialization. In this region, rainwater harvesting alone is not enough to meet water supply demands due to the irregular distribution of rainfall in time and space. Thus, in this study the reliability of integrating rainwater harvesting with greywater reuse to reduce water consumption and minimize wastewater generation in the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus, was assessed. Potable water consumption and greywater generation in main facilities of the campus were determined. Rainwater that can be potentially harvested in roofs and parking areas of the campus was estimated based on a statistical analysis of the rainfall. Based on these data, potential water savings and wastewater minimization were determined. Characterization of rainwater and greywater was carried out to determine the treatment necessities for each water source. Additionally, the capacity of water storage tanks was estimated. For the selected treatment systems, an economic assessment was conducted to determine the viability of the alternatives proposed. Results showed that water consumption can be reduced by 48% and wastewater generation can be minimized by 59%. Implementation of rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems in the Monterrey Campus will generate important economic benefits to the institution. Amortization of the investments will be achieved in only six years, where the net present value (NPV will be on the order of US $50,483.2, the internal rate of return (IRR of 4.6% and the benefits–investment ratio (B/I of 1.7. From the seventh year, the project will present an IRR greater than the minimum acceptable rate of return (MARR. In a decade, the IRR will be 14.4%, more than twice the MARR, the NPV of US $290,412.1 and the B/I of 3.1, denoting economic feasibility. Based on these results, it is clear that

  11. Holistic Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Rainwater Harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    We present a methodology for holistic sustainability assessment of green infrastructure, applied to agricultural rainwater harvesting (RWH) in the Albemarle-Pamlico river basin. It builds upon prior work in the region through the use of detailed, crop-level management information...

  12. Adoption of rainwater harvesting technologies by farmers in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adoption of rainwater harvesting technologies by farmers in Tanzania with particular reference to the Western, Pare Lowlands. ... in time) about adoption rather than depending on single season static data. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  13. Contribution of rainwater harvesting technologies to rural livelihoods ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Water has long been regarded as the main limiting resource for crop ... However, the introduction of novel agricultural technologies such as rain-water harvesting ... water distribution problems, labour shortage, water-logging during periods of ...

  14. Improving the Multi-Objective Performance of Rainwater Harvesting Systems Using Real-Time Control Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei D. Xu

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Many studies have identified the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH systems to simultaneously augment potable water supply and reduce delivery of uncontrolled stormwater flows to downstream drainage networks. Potentially, such systems could also play a role in the controlled delivery of water to urban streams in ways which mimic baseflows. The performance of RWH systems to achieve these three objectives could be enhanced using Real-Time Control (RTC technology to receive rainfall forecasts and initiate pre-storm release in real time, although few studies have explored such potential. We used continuous simulation to model the ability of a range of allotment-scale RWH systems to simultaneously deliver: (i water supply; (ii stormwater retention; and (iii baseflow restoration. We compared the performance of RWH systems with RTC technology to conventional RWH systems and also systems designed with a passive baseflow release, rather than the active (RTC configuration. We found that RWH systems employing RTC technology were generally superior in simultaneously achieving water supply, stormwater retention and baseflow restoration benefits compared with the other types of system tested. The active operation provided by RTC allows the system to perform optimally across a wider range of climatic conditions, but needs to be carefully designed. We conclude that the active release mechanism employing RTC technology exhibits great promise; its ability to provide centralised control and failure detection also opens the possibility of delivering a more reliable rainwater harvesting system, which can be readily adapted to varying climate over both the short and long term.

  15. Review of rainwater harvesting techniques and evidence for their ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tanzania Journal of Agricultural Sciences ... they are faced with shortage of appropriate technologies and knowledge. Keywords: Rainwater harvesting, runoff agriculture, soil-water conservation, microcatchments, macro-catchments. Tanzania ...

  16. Probabilistic assessment of the rainwater harvesting potential of schools in South Africa

    OpenAIRE

    Ndiritu, J. G.; McCarthy, S.; Tshirangwana, N.

    2014-01-01

    In comparison to other sources of water supply, rainwater harvesting (RWH) has the typical advantages of being cheaper and easier to operate and maintain. This study aimed at assessing the hydrologic rainwater harvesting potential of rural schools in South Africa by obtaining RWH storage capacity (level of supply) reliability relationships of representative schools. Thirty-two schools located in three rural areas that have varied rainfall characteristics were selected for the analysis. For ea...

  17. Quality and seasonal variation of rainwater harvested from concrete, asphalt, ceramic tile and green roofs in Chongqing, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qianqian; Wang, Xiaoke; Hou, Peiqiang; Wan, Wuxing; Li, Ruida; Ren, Yufen; Ouyang, Zhiyun

    2014-01-01

    There is an urgent requirement to examine the quality of harvested rainwater for potable and non-potable purposes, based on the type of roofing material. In this study, we examined the effect on the quality of harvested rainwater of conventional roofing materials (concrete, asphalt and ceramic tile roofs) compared with alternative roofing materials (green roof). The results showed that the ceramic tile roof was the most suitable for rainwater-harvesting applications because of the lower concentrations of leachable pollutants. However, in this study, the green roof was not suitable for rainwater harvesting applications. In addition, seasonal trends in water quality parameters showed that pollutants in roof runoff in summer and autumn were lower than those in winter and spring. This study revealed that the quality of harvested rainwater was significantly affected by the roofing material; therefore, local government and urban planners should develop stricter testing programs and produce more weathering resistant roofing materials to allow the harvesting of rainwater for domestic and public uses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Evaluation benefits of rainwater harvesting using infiltration pits in rainfed cropping systems: Preliminary results from Rushinga district, Zimbabwe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nyakudya, I.W.; Stroosnijder, L.; Chimweta, M.; Nyagumbo, I.

    2012-01-01

    ABSTRACT Occurrence of dry spells during the rainfall season is the major cause of crop failure in semi-arid areas. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is regarded as a viable option for mitigating these dry spells. However, benefits of most RWH systems have not been adequately quantified. The objective of

  19. Rainwater and Greywater Harvesting in Urban and Periurban ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    This grant will explore the feasibility of harvesting rainwater and treating greywater for use in urban and periurban agriculture with a view to improving the socioeconomic conditions of the poor in these marginalized areas. Researchers will also seek ways of reducing flooding and rehabilitating flooded agricultural land.

  20. Rainwater harvesting in South Africa: Challenges and opportunities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mwenge Kahinda, J.; Taigbenu, A. E.

    Water paucity remains a major threat to poverty, hunger alleviation as well as sustainable development. Innovative water technologies such as rainwater harvesting (RWH) have the potential to improve rural water supply and contribute to the provision of the first 6 kl of water consumed monthly. RWH can also be the solution to South Africa food security by increasing water productivity of dryland agriculture and enabling homestead gardening. Although used for decades in South Africa, rainwater harvesting (RWH) is still far from being utilised to its full potential as unresolved challenges prevent its wide scale adoption. The paper presents the challenges and opportunities to the upscaling of RWH in South Africa. Key challenges preventing the nationwide expansion of RWH are the current water related legislations, the lack of finances and the absence of a national umbrella body that coordinates. While opportunities lie in the worth of knowledge gathered by research projects, funded over the last two decades, on the biophysical and socio-economic impacts of RWH.

  1. Holistic impact assessment and cost savings of rainwater harvesting at the watershed scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    We evaluated the impacts of domestic and agricultural rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in three watersheds within the Albemarle-Pamlico river basin (southeastern U.S.) using life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost assessment. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) categori...

  2. Multi-objective optimization integrated with life cycle assessment for rainwater harvesting systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yi; Huang, Youyi; Ye, Quanliang; Zhang, Wenlong; Meng, Fangang; Zhang, Shanxue

    2018-03-01

    The major limitation of optimization models applied previously for rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems is the systematic evaluation of environmental and human health impacts across all the lifecycle stages. This study integrated life cycle assessment (LCA) into a multi-objective optimization model to optimize the construction areas of green rooftops, porous pavements and green lands in Beijing of China, considering the trade-offs among 24 h-interval RWH volume (QR), stormwater runoff volume control ratio (R), economic cost (EC), and environmental impacts (EI). Eleven life cycle impact indicators were assessed with a functional unit of 10,000 m2 of RWH construction areas. The LCA results showed that green lands performed the smallest lifecycle impacts of all assessment indicators, in contrast, porous pavements showed the largest impact values except Abiotic Depletion Potential (ADP) elements. Based on the standardization results, ADP fossil was chosen as the representative indicator for the calculation of EI objective in multi-objective optimization model due to its largest value in all RWH systems lifecycle. The optimization results for QR, R, EC and EI were 238.80 million m3, 78.5%, 66.68 billion RMB Yuan, and 1.05E + 16 MJ, respectively. After the construction of optimal RWH system, 14.7% of annual domestic water consumption and 78.5% of maximum daily rainfall would be supplied and controlled in Beijing, respectively, which would make a great contribution to reduce the stress of water scarcity and water logging problems. Green lands have been the first choice for RWH in Beijing according to the capacity of rainwater harvesting and less environmental and human impacts. Porous pavements played a good role in water logging alleviation (R for 67.5%), however, did not show a large construction result in this study due to the huge ADP fossil across the lifecycle. Sensitivity analysis revealed the daily maximum precipitation to be key factor for the robustness of the

  3. Contribution of rainwater harvesting technologies to rural livelihoods ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2006-07-03

    Jul 3, 2006 ... Water has long been regarded as the main limiting resource for crop production in the drought-prone region of sub-Saharan. Africa in which Zimbabwe is located. However, the introduction of novel agricultural technologies such as rain-water harvest- ing (RWH) is seeking to mitigate the effects of these ...

  4. Analytical Modelling of Rainwater Harvesting and Groundwater Resources in Auchi, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olotu Yahaya

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Shortage in supply of water for potable and non-potable applications and exponential world population increase is a strong constrain to Human Development Index and social-economic advancement in Nigeria. ClimGen (Version 4.1.05 was used to simulate and create large dataset of annual rainfall depth. Generated average annual rainfall from 1430 mm to 1600 mm was subjected to varying roof plan surfaces of 250 m2 ; 500 m2 ; 1000 m2 ; and 2000 m2 respectively. Simulation analysis showed that an average of 5,300m 3 of rainwater was harvestable and this value of water could only meet water demand of 170 people annually. The relationship of roof plan surface (RPS and collected rainwater is very strong with R 2= 0.84 and 0.95 respectively. Again, the volume of groundwater withdrawal increased from 12.4×10 4 m 3 to 32.7×10 4 m 3 , this could only meet an annual water demand for 10,480 people representing about 6.2% of the population in Auchi. This development reveals that water supply from the alternative sources could not meet up to 6.3% of total water demand in Auchi and increasing water availability and accessibility to about 65% (31.3×105m3 coverage requires integrated rainwater harvesting system and technically-based groundwater exploration mechanism.

  5. Re-assessing Rainwater Harvesting Volume by CHIRPS Satellite in Semarang Settlement Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prihanto, Yosef; Koestoer, Raldi H.; Sutjiningsih, Dwita

    2017-12-01

    Semarang City is one of the most influential coastal cities in Java Island. The city is facing increasingly-high water demand due to its development and water problems due to climate change. The spatial physiography and landscape of Semarang City are also exposed the city to water security problem. Hence, rainwater harvesting treatment is an urgent effort to meet the city’s water needs. However, planning, implementation and management of rainwater harvesting are highly depended on multitemporal rainfall data. It has not yet been fully compiled due to limited rain stations. This study aims to examine the extent to which CHIRPS satellite data can be utilized in estimating volume of rainwater harvesting 16 sub-districts in Semarang and determine the water security status. This study uses descriptive statistical method based on spatial analyses. Such method was developed through spatial modeling for rainfall using isohyetal model. The parameters used are rainfall, residential rooftop area, administrative area, population, physiographic and altitude units. Validation is carried out by using monthly 10 rain stations data. The results show level of validity by utilizing CHIRPS Satellite data and mapping rainfall distribution. This study also produces a potential map of distribution rainfall volume that can be harvested in 16 sub-districts of Semarang.

  6. Impacts of using rainwater tanks on stormwater harvesting and runoff quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khastagir, A; Jayasuriya, L N N

    2010-01-01

    The popularity of rainwater use in Australia depends completely on the individual householder's preference. The quality of reticulated water supplies in major cities of Australia is far superior to water stored in rainwater tanks. However, due to persistent drought and the implementation of stringent water restrictions, cities such as Melbourne have encouraged the use of rainwater harvesting within the property. The benefits of trapping stormwater within a property and using it effectively also reduce polluted runoff excess reaching receiving water. The study reported herein focuses on the effectiveness of rainwater tanks as a potential water sensitive urban design element used to manage stormwater using the MUSIC model. The study shows that the installation of a 3 kL tank reduces hydraulic loading by 75%, Total Suspended Solids by 97%, Total Phosphorous by 90% and Total Nitrogen by 81% if the rainwater stored in the tank is used to meet the indoor demand (toilet flushing and laundry use) as well as the outdoor demand (garden watering).

  7. Dimensionless Analysis for Designing Domestic Rainwater Harvesting Systems at the Regional Level in Northern Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao-Hsien Liaw

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available A regional-level and dimensionless analysis for designing a domestic rainwater harvesting system (DRWHS was developed. To consider various combinations of water demand, storage capacity, effective roof area, and rainfall in DRWHS design, two dimensionless ratios were used, namely, demand fraction and storage fraction, along with a relationship between the two ratios. Firstly, Northern Taiwan was divided into four sub-regions through cluster analysis based on the average annual 10-day rainfall distribution at rainfall stations and administrative districts. Easy-to-use dimensionless curves between demand fraction and storage fraction were obtained for five rainwater supply reliabilities of the DRWHS for the four sub-regions. Based on the dimensionless curves, a nomogram was constructed for designing DRWHSs at a rainwater supply reliability of 95% in the sub-region I. Storage capacities determined from the dimensionless curves showed a close fit with those determined from simulated values, but were larger than the values estimated from the method presented in the Green Building Evaluation Manual in most situations. The methodology developed herein can be used effectively for the preliminary design of a DRWHS and for overcoming the difficulties faced in designing a DRWHS without rainfall data and with incomplete rainfall data.

  8. Probabilistic assessment of the rainwater harvesting potential of schools in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. G. Ndiritu

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available In comparison to other sources of water supply, rainwater harvesting (RWH has the typical advantages of being cheaper and easier to operate and maintain. This study aimed at assessing the hydrologic rainwater harvesting potential of rural schools in South Africa by obtaining RWH storage capacity (level of supply reliability relationships of representative schools. Thirty-two schools located in three rural areas that have varied rainfall characteristics were selected for the analysis. For each school, a daily time-step behaviour analysis of the rainwater harvesting system with a specified storage was carried out for a period of 101 years (over which rainfall data was available and the number of days that the school’s daily water demand was met in each year obtained. Using the Weibull plotting position formula, the expected number of days that the demand can be met per year was then obtained for 85, 90 and 95 % reliability. For the two summer rainfall regions where a large proportion of rain falls during school holidays, the expected number of days of supply per year improved up to a storage capacity of 25 m3. For the winter rainfall region where the rainfall periods and school learning times have more co-incidence, a tank volume of 5 m3 obtained similar supply levels as larger capacities. At 90 % reliability, the supply levels for different schools in the summer rainfall area with a mean annual precipitation (MAP of 800–1000 mm/year ranged from 60 to 120 days per year, while the summer rainfall region with a lower MAP (500–600 mm gave supply levels ranging from 40 to 70 days per year. The winter rainfall area had a MAP of 500–600 mm and obtained supply levels ranging from 60 to 80 days at 90 % reliability.

  9. Development and Simulation of Decentralised Water and Energy Supply Concepts – Case Study of Rainwater Harvesting at the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity in Cambodia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joel Czarny

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Besides a sufficient energy supply, concepts for accommodations require an intelligent water management. Using the example of quarters that do not have water and energy access, a dynamic simulation model is presented in which a rainwater harvesting concept is implemented and simulated over one year using MATLAB-Simulink. The aim is to minimize respectively suspend the use of fossil energy sources and to guarantee the provision of decentralized clean drinking water. Since traditional water bodies, e.g. groundwater, are increasingly polluted and depleted, utilisation of alternative sources is prudent. Especially in rural areas, where access to drinking water is scarce, rainwater is suitable for providing potable water. Besides its beneficial chemical water properties, it is easily accessed in a decentralized manner, which makes it a preferred choice in areas with sufficient precipitation. However, access to rainwater is limited by its occurrence and contamination, calling for proper storage, utilisation, and treatment strategies. For this purpose, a rainwater harvesting system, including different water and energy management systems, was modelled and implemented using the site of the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity in Cambodia as an example. For the simulation, a precipitation generator was implemented using real historical rain event data. An appropriate rainwater treatment process was chosen, consisting of a microfiltration and a subsequent ultrafiltration unit removing bacteriological loads entirely. Both were modelled and implemented dynamically. Using the site of the Angkor Centre of Conservation of Biodiversity, a complete rainwater harvesting plant was implemented including harvest, storage, and utilization of rainwater. Further, a renewable energy management strategy is developed, using photovoltaic modules and batteries. It was shown that the cumulative runoff meets the water demand of the Angkor Centre for Conservation of

  10. Rainwater Harvesting for Military Installations -The Time is Now

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-01

    Alternate Water Sources US Army Corps of Engineers® Engineer Research and Development Center - Water Reuse - Desalination - Produced Water...RAINWATER HARVESTING - Ground Water Recharge - Graywater Reuse - Sewer Mining Other Water Use/Alternate Water Sources Options What can be done to increase...WATER NO TOME El AGUA .. US Army Corps of Engineers® Engineer Research and Development Center Mitchell Physics RWH 386,800 GPY AC 1,058,300 GPY

  11. Rainwater Harvesting-based Safe Water Access in Diarrhea-endemic Coastal Communities of Bangladesh under Threats of Climate Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akanda, A. S.; Redwan, A. M.; Ali, M. A.; Alam, M.; Jutla, A.; Colwell, R. R.

    2014-12-01

    The highly populated coastal floodplains of the Bengal Delta have a long history of water-related natural calamities such as droughts, floods, and cyclones. Population centers along the floodplain corridors of the GBM (Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna) river system remain vulnerable to such natural hazards and waterborne epidemic outbreaks due to increasing intensity and changing frequency of extreme events over many areas in the delta region. Such changes in hydrologic extremes and resulting environmental conditions would likely lengthen the transmission seasons of prevalent waterborne diseases and alter their geographic range as well as seasonality. In addition, the combination of changing upstream precipitation and temperature, and coastal sea-level rise are exposing a vast area in Southwestern Bangladesh to increased diarrheal disease outbreaks due to higher salinity and water scarcity in the dry season as well as coastal flooding and water resources contamination in the wet season. It is thus essential to establish sustainable safe water access practices in these regions for the rural communities of low-income people. The impact of climate change in the recent past on the people of coastal rural areas of Bangladesh has been severe, and the water sector is one of its biggest victims. Previously, pond and groundwater sources were considered dependable, but salinity intrusion in both water resources have left the vulnerable people with only a few scarce ponds and forced them to depend more on rainwater than before. The poorest group is suffering the most for this crisis even though paying more of the percentage of their income especially in the dry season (December-March). As rainwater is their most preferred and dependable option during this part of the year, outbreaks of waterborne diseases can be minimized by installing rainwater harvesting systems with effective disinfection system at both household and community levels. In this study, we explore the technical

  12. Comparative analysis of solar pasteurization versus solar disinfection for the treatment of harvested rainwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strauss, André; Dobrowsky, Penelope Heather; Ndlovu, Thando; Reyneke, Brandon; Khan, Wesaal

    2016-12-09

    Numerous pathogens and opportunistic pathogens have been detected in harvested rainwater. Developing countries, in particular, require time- and cost-effective treatment strategies to improve the quality of this water source. The primary aim of the current study was thus to compare solar pasteurization (SOPAS; 70 to 79 °C; 80 to 89 °C; and ≥90 °C) to solar disinfection (SODIS; 6 and 8 hrs) for their efficiency in reducing the level of microbial contamination in harvested rainwater. The chemical quality (anions and cations) of the SOPAS and SODIS treated and untreated rainwater samples were also monitored. While the anion concentrations in all the samples were within drinking water guidelines, the concentrations of lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) exceeded the guidelines in all the SOPAS samples. Additionally, the iron (Fe) concentrations in both the SODIS 6 and 8 hr samples were above the drinking water guidelines. A >99% reduction in Escherichia coli and heterotrophic bacteria counts was then obtained in the SOPAS and SODIS samples. Ethidium monoazide bromide quantitative polymerase chain reaction (EMA-qPCR) analysis revealed a 94.70% reduction in viable Legionella copy numbers in the SOPAS samples, while SODIS after 6 and 8 hrs yielded a 50.60% and 75.22% decrease, respectively. Similarly, a 99.61% reduction in viable Pseudomonas copy numbers was observed after SOPAS treatment, while SODIS after 6 and 8 hrs yielded a 47.27% and 58.31% decrease, respectively. While both the SOPAS and SODIS systems reduced the indicator counts to below the detection limit, EMA-qPCR analysis indicated that SOPAS treatment yielded a 2- and 3-log reduction in viable Legionella and Pseudomonas copy numbers, respectively. Additionally, SODIS after 8 hrs yielded a 2-log and 1-log reduction in Legionella and Pseudomonas copy numbers, respectively and could be considered as an alternative, cost-effective treatment method for harvested rainwater.

  13. Identification of Decisive Factors Determining the Continued Use of Rainwater Harvesting Systems for Agriculture Irrigation in Beijing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao Liang

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The success or failure of operating a rainwater harvesting system (RWH depends on both technological and non-technological factors. The importance of non-technological factors in attaining sustainable RWH operation is rarely emphasized. This study aims to assess the contribution of non-technological factors through determining decisive factors involved in the use of RWHs for agriculture irrigation in Beijing. The RWHs for agriculture irrigation in Beijing are not operating as well as expected. If the decisive factors are identified to be non-technological, the significance of non-technological factors will be highlighted. Firstly, 10 impact factors comprising non-technological and technological factors are selected according to both a literature review and interviews with RWH managers. Following this, through an artificial data mining method, rough set analysis, the decisive factors are identified. Results show that two non-technological factors, “doubts about rainwater quality” and “the availability of groundwater” determine whether these systems will continue or cease RWH operation in Beijing. It is, thus, considered necessary to improve public confidence in and motivation on using rainwater for agriculture irrigation, as this is the main obstacle in the sustainable and successful operation of RWHs. Through a case study of RWHs in Beijing, the study verifies the importance of acknowledging non-technological factors to achieve sustainable water management and considers that such factors should receive more attention by decision makers and researchers.

  14. Rainwater catchment system design using simulated future climate data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, Corey D.; Bailey, Ryan T.; Arabi, Mazdak

    2015-10-01

    Rainwater harvesting techniques are used worldwide to augment potable water supply, provide water for small-scale irrigation practices, increase rainwater-use efficiency for sustained crop growth in arid and semi-arid regions, decrease urban stormwater flow volumes, and in general to relieve dependency on urban water resources cycles. A number of methods have been established in recent years to estimate reliability of rainwater catchment systems (RWCS) and thereby properly size the components (roof catchment area, storage tank size) of the system for a given climatic region. These methods typically use historical or stochastically-generated rainfall patterns to quantify system performance and optimally size the system, with the latter accounting for possible rainfall scenarios based on statistical relationships of historical rainfall patterns. To design RWCS systems that can sustainably meet water demand under future climate conditions, this paper introduces a method that employs climatic data from general circulation models (GCMs) to develop a suite of catchment area vs. storage size design curves that capture uncertainty in future climate scenarios. Monthly rainfall data for the 2010-2050 time period is statistically downscaled to daily values using a Markov chain algorithm, with results used only from GCMs that yield rainfall patterns that are statistically consistent with historical rainfall patterns. The process is demonstrated through application to two climatic regions of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the western Pacific, wherein the majority of the population relies on rainwater harvesting for potable water supply. Through the use of design curves, communities can provide household RWCS that achieve a certain degree of storage reliability. The method described herein can be applied generally to any geographic region. It can be used to first, assess the future performance of existing household systems; and second, to design or modify systems

  15. Effects of rainwater harvesting on centralized urban water supply systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grandet, C.; Binning, Philip John; Mikkelsen, Peter Steen

    2010-01-01

    depths but very different temporal distributions. Supply reliability and the extent of reliance on the public distribution system are identified as suitable performance indicators for mains water infrastructure. A uniform temporal distribution of rainfall in an oceanic climate like that of Dinard......, Northern France, yielded supply reliabilities close to 100% for reasonable tank sizes (0.065 m3/m2 of roof area in Dinard compared with 0.262 m3/m2 in Nice with a RWSO of 30% for a detached house). However, the collection and use of rainfall results in a permanent decrease in mains water demand leading...... to an increase in water age in the distribution network. Investigations carried on a real network showed that water age is greatly affected when rainwater supplies more than 30% of the overall water demand. In urban water utilities planning, rainwater supply systems may however be profitable for the community...

  16. Sustainability Index Evaluation of the Rainwater Harvesting System in Six US Urban Cities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daeryong Park

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the sustainability of the rainwater harvesting system (RWHS by analyzing six urban city sites with different rainfall statistics in the United States. We developed a new RWHS performance model by modifying a spreadsheet-based storage, treatment, and overflow runoff model (SS STORM and verified its performance by comparing with another analytical RWHS model. The sustainability index (SI evaluation method was used for a reservoir system and applied to the RWHS, employing modified resilience and vulnerability evaluation methods due to the different characteristics of a reservoir and the RWHS. The performance of modified SS STORM is very similar to that of the analytical method, except in Los Angeles, which is characterized by long inter-event times and low rainfall event depths due to low annual rainfall. The sustainability indices were successfully evaluated depending on both RWHS size and water demand and vary over a wide range as annual rainfall increases. This study proposes a new RWHS performance model and sustainability index evaluation method. Further study should confirm the proposed approach in regions with widely different rainfall characteristics.

  17. Rainwater harvesting for drought disaster alleviation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Widodo, B.; Prinzand, D.; Malik, A.H.

    2005-01-01

    Too little water and too much water can be as devastating as well. Drought usually does not show up instantly like flood, but it creeps slowly. Drought that is less popular than flood has impact more serious than flood. It is difficult to be identified when it comes and when it goes away. However, it is suddenly understood when water becomes scare, or no more water is available in wells, rivers and reservoirs. Managing flood and drought has to be at an integrated basis. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) combined with water conservation methods can be developed to alleviate drought disaster as well as flood disaster in the same time. RWH and water conservation must be an integral part of integrated water resources management. Preventing drought could be automatically reducing the extent of flood that means preventing people and the environment from the disasters. (author)

  18. Seeking urbanization security and sustainability: Multi-objective optimization of rainwater harvesting systems in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yi; Ye, Quanliang; Liu, An; Meng, Fangang; Zhang, Wenlong; Xiong, Wei; Wang, Peifang; Wang, Chao

    2017-07-01

    Urban rainwater management need to achieve an optimal compromise among water resource augmentation, water loggings alleviation, economic investment and pollutants reduction. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems, such as green rooftops, porous pavements, and green lands, have been successfully implemented as viable approaches to alleviate water-logging disasters and water scarcity problems caused by rapid urbanization. However, there is limited guidance to determine the construction areas of RWH systems, especially for stormwater runoff control due to increasing extreme precipitation. This study firstly developed a multi-objective model to optimize the construction areas of green rooftops, porous pavements and green lands, considering the trade-offs among 24 h-interval RWH volume, stormwater runoff volume control ratio (R), economic cost, and rainfall runoff pollutant reduction. Pareto fronts of RWH system areas for 31 provinces of China were obtained through nondominated sorting genetic algorithm. On the national level, the control strategies for the construction rate (the ratio between the area of single RWH system and the total areas of RWH systems) of green rooftops (ηGR), porous pavements (ηPP) and green lands (ηGL) were 12%, 26% and 62%, and the corresponding RWH volume and total suspended solids reduction was 14.84 billion m3 and 228.19 kilotons, respectively. Optimal ηGR , ηPP and ηGL in different regions varied from 1 to 33%, 6 to 54%, and 30 to 89%, respectively. Particularly, green lands were the most important RWH system in 25 provinces with ηGL more than 50%, ηGR mainly less than 15%, and ηPP mainly between 10 and 30%. Results also indicated whether considering the objective MaxR made a non-significant difference for RWH system areas whereas exerted a great influence on the result of stormwater runoff control. Maximum daily rainfall under control increased, exceeding 200% after the construction of the optimal RWH system compared with that before

  19. Rainwater in Egypt: quantity, distribution and harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H.I. ABDEL-SHAFY

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Egypt has limited water resources, and it will be under water stress within the year 2030. Therefore, Egypt should consider the natural and non-conventional water resources to overcome such problem. Rain harvesting is one solution; but not all; particularly on the north coast by the Mediterranean Sea and the Red sea. In this paper, the rainwater issue is reviewed and discussed in terms of the quantities and distribution at different selected areas in Egypt. The amount of rain falls at different location in Egypt was collected for a period of 16 months. The data indicated that rainfall in Egypt is very scarce, with an annual average of 12 mm and ranges from 0 mm/year in the desert to 200 mm/year in the north coastal region. The maximum total amount of rain does not exceed 1.8 billion m3per year. However, the average annual amount of rainfall water that is effectively utilized for agriculture purposes is estimated to be 1 billion m3. Harvesting pilot plant was constructed and implemented in Alexandria directly on the Mediterranean Sea. The harvested rain was used for irrigation and treated for drinking. It was, therefore, recommended to develop sustainable catchments at appropriate locations in the rain-fed areas at the north coast as well as cost effective grafting of the indigenous technologies with the innovative techniques.

  20. Stochastic rainfall modeling in West Africa: Parsimonious approaches for domestic rainwater harvesting assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowden, Joshua R.; Watkins, David W., Jr.; Mihelcic, James R.

    2008-10-01

    SummarySeveral parsimonious stochastic rainfall models are developed and compared for application to domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) assessment in West Africa. Worldwide, improved water access rates are lowest for Sub-Saharan Africa, including the West African region, and these low rates have important implications on the health and economy of the region. Domestic rainwater harvesting (DRWH) is proposed as a potential mechanism for water supply enhancement, especially for the poor urban households in the region, which is essential for development planning and poverty alleviation initiatives. The stochastic rainfall models examined are Markov models and LARS-WG, selected due to availability and ease of use for water planners in the developing world. A first-order Markov occurrence model with a mixed exponential amount model is selected as the best option for unconditioned Markov models. However, there is no clear advantage in selecting Markov models over the LARS-WG model for DRWH in West Africa, with each model having distinct strengths and weaknesses. A multi-model approach is used in assessing DRWH in the region to illustrate the variability associated with the rainfall models. It is clear DRWH can be successfully used as a water enhancement mechanism in West Africa for certain times of the year. A 200 L drum storage capacity could potentially optimize these simple, small roof area systems for many locations in the region.

  1. Gaining a better understanding of the factors that influence the quality of harvested rainwater in South Africa – a review

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Malema, Shirley

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available is generally considered to be contaminant free except for pollutants that might be inadvertently picked up by rain from the atmosphere. The majority of contaminants found in rainwater are introduced during harvesting, storage and use of rainwater. Particularly...

  2. Feasibility of Rainwater Harvesting to fulfill potable water demand using quantitative water management in low-lying delta regions of Asia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahmood, A.; Hossain, F.

    2016-12-01

    Low-lying deltas of Asian region are usually densely populated and located in developing countries situated at the downstream end of major rivers. Extensive dam construction by the upstream countries has now caused water scarcity in large portions of low-lying deltas. Most inhabitants depend on shallow tube well for safe drinking water that tend to suffer from water quality issues (e.g. Arsenic contamination). In addition, people also get infected from water borne diseases like Cholera and Typhoid due to lack of safe drinking water. Developing a centralized piped network based water supply system is often not a feasible option in rural regions. Due to social acceptability, environment friendliness, lower capital and maintenance cost, rainwater harvesting can be the most sustainable option to supply safe drinking water in rural areas. In this study, first we estimate the monthly rainfall variability using long precipitation climatology from satellite precipitation data. The upper and lower bounds of monthly harvestable rainwater were estimated for each satellite precipitation grid. Taking this lower bound of monthly harvestable rainwater as input, we use quantitative water management concept to determine the percent of the time of the year potable water demand can be fulfilled. Analysis indicates that a 6 m³ reservoir tank can fulfill the potable water demand of a 6 person family throughout a year in almost all parts of this region.

  3. Physicochemical and Bacteriological Characteristics of Rainwater ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ADOWIE PERE

    ABSTRACT: Due to scarcity of potable water, rainwater harvesting from rooftop has ... to Oyedotun (2012) Nigerians face daily problems in ... aware of the health implication of using water from ... determining the end use and the potential success of .... Table 5: Physicochemical parameters quality of rainwater harvested.

  4. Domestic rainwater harvesting to improve water supply in rural South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mwenge Kahinda, Jean-marc; Taigbenu, Akpofure E.; Boroto, Jean R.

    Halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, is one of the targets of the 7th Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In South Africa, with its mix of developed and developing regions, 9.7 million (20%) of the people do not have access to adequate water supply and 16 million (33%) lack proper sanitation services. Domestic Rainwater Harvesting (DRWH), which provides water directly to households enables a number of small-scale productive activities, has the potential to supply water even in rural and peri-urban areas that conventional technologies cannot supply. As part of the effort to achieve the MDGs, the South African government has committed itself to provide financial assistance to poor households for the capital cost of rainwater storage tanks and related works in the rural areas. Despite this financial assistance, the legal status of DRWH remains unclear and DRWH is in fact illegal by strict application of the water legislations. Beyond the cost of installation, maintenance and proper use of the DRWH system to ensure its sustainability, there is risk of waterborne diseases. This paper explores challenges to sustainable implementation of DRWH and proposes some interventions which the South African government could implement to overcome them.

  5. Rainwater Harvesting, its Prospects and Challenges in the Uplands of Talugtog, Nueva Ecija, Philippines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel M. Contreras

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The prospects and challenges facing eight small water impounding projects (SWIPs in Talugtog, Nueva Ecija, an upland municipality located in Central Luzon, Philippines were evaluated using rapid appraisal and documentation of projects, interview of farmers and local officials, and a review of related studies undertaken on the same project sites. The challenges include the deterioration of structural facilities, inactive farmers associations, watershed degradation, and climate change. It also aims to evaluate improvement and innovation in the future implementation of SWIPs as rainwater harvesting facilities. The site was selected because it has the largest number of SWIPs established as one of the coping strategies during the 1997 1998 severe El Nino. Because of its location, it has no major irrigation systems and relies only on local rainwater storage facilities. The study involves 8 SWIPs established in two clusters (i. e., 5 and 3 SWIPs in a watershed as rainwater conservation and management facilities. Results indicated these clusters of SWIPs offer multiple benefits in terms of supplemental irrigation, inland fish production, and water for domestic purposes and livestock production. They also serve as strategic small-scale upland structures that enhance recharging of groundwater, prevent flooding, and provide value-adding activities such as recreation, soil and water conservation, and environmental benefits. Previous studies also identified their benefits at the farm and community levels as conserved rainwater through storage in SWIPs is translated into more economic uses. However, some SWIPs are confronted with various challenges; deterioration of structural facilities, inactive farmer associations, unabated watershed degradation, and threats of climate change. These are seriously affecting the overall performance of SWIPs. Immediate actions should include the strengthening of small water impounding system associations (SWISA, repair and

  6. Urban rainwater runoff quantity and quality: a potential endogenous resource in cities?

    OpenAIRE

    Angrill Toledo, Sara; Petit Boix, Anna; Morales Pinzon, Tito; Josa Garcia-Tornel, Alejandro; Rieradevall Pons, Joan; Gabarrell Durany, Xavier

    2017-01-01

    Rainwater harvesting might help to achieve self-sufficiency, but it must comply with health standards. We studied the runoff quantity and quality harvested from seven urban surfaces in a university campus in Barcelona according to their use (pedestrian or motorized mobility) and materials (concrete, asphalt and slabs). An experimental rainwater harvesting system was used to collect the runoff resulting from a set of rainfall events. We estimated the runoff coefficient and initial abstraction ...

  7. Rainwater harvesting to alleviate water scarcity in dry conditions: A case study in Faria Catchment, Palestine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sameer Shadeed

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available In arid and semi-arid regions, the availability of adequate water of appropriate quality has become a limiting factor for development. This paper aims to evaluate the potential for rainwater harvesting in the arid to semi-arid Faria Catchment, in the West Bank, Palestine. Under current conditions, the supply-demand gap is increasing due to the increasing water demands of a growing population with hydrologically limited and uncertain supplies. By 2015, the gap is estimated to reach 4.5 × 106 m3. This study used the process-oriented and physically-based TRAIN-ZIN model to evaluate two different rainwater harvesting techniques during two rainfall events. The analysis shows that there is a theoretical potential for harvesting an additional 4 × 106 m3 of surface water over the entire catchment. Thus, it is essential to manage the potential available surface water supplies in the catchment to save water for dry periods when the supply-demand gap is comparatively high. Then a valuable contribution to bridging the supply-demand gap can be made.

  8. Technical-financial evaluation of rainwater harvesting systems in commercial buildings-case ase studies from Sonae Sierra in Portugal and Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sousa, Vitor; Silva, Cristina Matos; Meireles, Inês C

    2017-11-10

    Water is an essential and increasingly scarce resource that should be preserved. The evolution of the human population and communities has contributed to the global decrease of potable water availability and the reduction of its consumption is now compulsory. Rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS) are emerging as a viable alternative source for water consumption in non-potable uses. The present study aims to contribute to the promotion of water efficiency, focusing on the application of rainwater harvesting systems in commercial buildings, and comprises four stages: (i) development of a technical evaluation tool to aid the design of RWHS and support their financial evaluation; (ii) validation of the tool using operational data from an existing RWHS installed at Colombo Shopping Center, in Lisbon, Portugal; (iii) assessment of the sensibility of the technical evaluation tool results to the variation of the inputs, namely the precipitation and consumption, through a parametric analysis for the Colombo Shopping Center; and (iv) comparison of the performance and financial feasibility of hypothetical RWHS in two existing commercial buildings. The technical tool was applied to two Sonae Sierra's shopping centers, one in Portugal and one in Brazil. The installation of a 200-m 3 tank is advised for the first case study, allowing non-potable water savings of 60% but a payback period of about 19 years. In the Brazilian shopping, the implementation of a tank with a capacity ranging from 100 to 400 m 3 leads to non-potable savings between 20 and 50%, but with smaller payback period, under 2 years, due to the relatively lower investment costs and higher water fees.

  9. Design, Development, and Performance Evaluation of Solar Heating System for Disinfection of Domestic Roof-Harvested Rainwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akintola, O A; Sangodoyin, A Y

    2015-01-01

    A box-type solar heater was designed, constructed, and used to determine the effect of solar heating on quality of domestic roof-harvested rainwater (DRHRW). During testing, naturally contaminated DRHRW was harvested in Ibadan, Nigeria, and released into the system at 93.96 Lh(-1) (2.61 × 10(-5) m(3) s(-1)) in a continuous flow process. Water temperatures at inlet, within the heating chamber, and at outlet from the heating chamber and solar radiation were monitored at 10 min interval. Samples were collected at both inlet to and outlet from the heating chamber at 10 min interval for microbiological analysis. The highest plate stagnation temperature, under no-load condition, was 100°C. The solar water heater attained a maximum operational temperature of 75°C with 89.6 and 94.4% reduction in total viable count and total coliform count, respectively, while Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were completely eradicated at this temperature. The solar heater developed proved to be effective in enhancing potability of DRHRW in Ibadan, Nigeria. This may be an appropriate household water treatment technology for developing countries, hence, a way of resolving problem of low quality water for potable uses.

  10. Sizing a rainwater harvesting cistern by minimizing costs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelak, Norman; Porporato, Amilcare

    2016-10-01

    Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has the potential to reduce water-related costs by providing an alternate source of water, in addition to relieving pressure on public water sources and reducing stormwater runoff. Existing methods for determining the optimal size of the cistern component of a RWH system have various drawbacks, such as specificity to a particular region, dependence on numerical optimization, and/or failure to consider the costs of the system. In this paper a formulation is developed for the optimal cistern volume which incorporates the fixed and distributed costs of a RWH system while also taking into account the random nature of the depth and timing of rainfall, with a focus on RWH to supply domestic, nonpotable uses. With rainfall inputs modeled as a marked Poisson process, and by comparing the costs associated with building a cistern with the costs of externally supplied water, an expression for the optimal cistern volume is found which minimizes the water-related costs. The volume is a function of the roof area, water use rate, climate parameters, and costs of the cistern and of the external water source. This analytically tractable expression makes clear the dependence of the optimal volume on the input parameters. An analysis of the rainfall partitioning also characterizes the efficiency of a particular RWH system configuration and its potential for runoff reduction. The results are compared to the RWH system at the Duke Smart Home in Durham, NC, USA to show how the method could be used in practice.

  11. Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Isolated from Rooftop Rainwater-Harvesting Tanks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mokaba Shirley Malema

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Although many developing countries use harvested rainwater (HRW for drinking and other household purposes, its quality is seldom monitored. Continuous assessment of the microbial quality of HRW would ensure the safety of users of such water. The current study investigated the prevalence of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains and their antimicrobial resistance patterns in HRW tanks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Rainwater samples were collected weekly between June and September 2016 from 11 tanks in various areas of the province. Enumeration of E. coli was performed using the Colilert®18/Quanti-Tray® 2000 method. E. coli isolates were obtained and screened for their virulence potentials using polymerase chain reaction (PCR, and subsequently tested for antibiotic resistance using the disc-diffusion method against 11 antibiotics. The pathotype most detected was the neonatal meningitis E. coli (NMEC (ibeA 28% while pathotype enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC was not detected. The highest resistance of the E. coli isolates was observed against Cephalothin (76%. All tested pathotypes were susceptible to Gentamicin, and 52% demonstrated multiple-antibiotic resistance (MAR. The results of the current study are of public health concern since the use of untreated harvested rainwater for potable purposes may pose a risk of transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli.

  12. Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Isolated from Rooftop Rainwater-Harvesting Tanks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malema, Mokaba Shirley; Abia, Akebe Luther King; Tandlich, Roman; Zuma, Bonga; Mwenge Kahinda, Jean-Marc; Ubomba-Jaswa, Eunice

    2018-05-01

    Although many developing countries use harvested rainwater (HRW) for drinking and other household purposes, its quality is seldom monitored. Continuous assessment of the microbial quality of HRW would ensure the safety of users of such water. The current study investigated the prevalence of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains and their antimicrobial resistance patterns in HRW tanks in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Rainwater samples were collected weekly between June and September 2016 from 11 tanks in various areas of the province. Enumeration of E. coli was performed using the Colilert ® 18/Quanti-Tray ® 2000 method. E. coli isolates were obtained and screened for their virulence potentials using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and subsequently tested for antibiotic resistance using the disc-diffusion method against 11 antibiotics. The pathotype most detected was the neonatal meningitis E. coli (NMEC) ( ibeA 28%) while pathotype enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) was not detected. The highest resistance of the E. coli isolates was observed against Cephalothin (76%). All tested pathotypes were susceptible to Gentamicin, and 52% demonstrated multiple-antibiotic resistance (MAR). The results of the current study are of public health concern since the use of untreated harvested rainwater for potable purposes may pose a risk of transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli.

  13. Rainwater harvesting: a technical guide

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Chidi, MC

    2010-02-15

    Full Text Available The report highlights the different methods of collecting and storing rainwater before it enters the soil or flows into the streams. Some of the methods described are intercepting the rainfall, landscapes and treatment of catchments...

  14. Identification of suitable sites for rainwater harvesting structures in arid and semi-arid regions: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ammar Adham

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Harvested rainwater is an alternative source of water in arid and semi-arid regions (ASARs around the world. Many researchers have developed and applied various methodologies and criteria to identify suitable sites and techniques for rainwater harvesting (RWH. Determining the best method or guidelines for site selection, however, is difficult. The main objective of this study was to define a general method for selecting suitable RWH sites in ASARs by assembling an inventory of the main methods and criteria developed during the last three decades. We categorised and compared four main methodologies of site selection from 48 studies published in scientific journals, reports of international organisations, or sources of information obtained from practitioners. We then identified three main sets of criteria for selecting RWH locations and the main characteristics of the most common RWH techniques used in ASARs. The methods were diverse, ranging from those based only on biophysical criteria to more integrated approaches including socio-economic criteria, especially after 2000. The most important criteria for the selection of suitable sites for RWH were slope, land use/cover, soil type, rainfall, distance to settlements/streams, and cost. The success rate of RWH projects tended to increase when these criteria were considered, but an objective evaluation of these selection methods is still lacking. Most studies now select RHW sites using geographic information systems in combination with hydrological models and multi-criteria analysis.

  15. Assessing efficiency and economic viability of rainwater harvesting systems for meeting non-potable water demands in four climatic zones of China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, S.; Jing, X.

    2017-12-01

    Rainwater harvesting is now increasingly used to manage urban flood and alleviate water scarcity crisis. In this study, a computational tool based on water balance equation is developed to assess stormwater capture and water saving efficiency and economic viability of rainwater harvesting systems (RHS) in eight cities across four climatic zones of China. It requires daily rainfall, contributing area, runoff losses, first flush volume, storage capacity, daily water demand and economic parameters as inputs. Three non-potable water demand scenarios (i.e., toilet flushing, lawn irrigation, and combination of them) are considered. The water demand for lawn irrigation is estimated using the Cropwat 8.0 and Climwat 2.0. Results indicate that higher water saving efficiency and water supply time reliability can be achieved for RHS with larger storage capacities, for lower water demand scenarios and located in more humid regions, while higher stormwater capture efficiency is associated with larger storage capacity, higher water demand scenarios and less rainfall. For instance, a 40 m3 RHS in Shanghai (humid climate) for lawn irrigation can capture 17% of stormwater, while its water saving efficiency and time reliability can reach 96 % and 98%, respectively. The water saving efficiency and time reliability of a 20 m3 RHS in Xining (semi-arid climate) for toilet flushing are 19% and 16%, respectively, but it can capture 63% of stormwater. With the current values of economic parameters, economic viability of RHS can be achieved in humid and semi-humid regions for reasonably designed RHS; however, it is not financially viable to install RHS in arid regions as the benefit-cost ratio is much smaller than 1.0.

  16. Holistic impact assessment and cost savings of rainwater harvesting at the watershed scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Santosh R. Ghimire

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated the impacts of domestic and agricultural rainwater harvesting (RWH systems in three watersheds within the Albemarle-Pamlico river basin (southeastern U.S. using life cycle assessment (LCA and life cycle cost assessment. Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA categories included energy demand, fossil fuel, metals, ozone depletion, global warming, acidification, smog, blue and green water use, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and human health effects. Building upon previous LCAs of near-optimal domestic and agricultural RWH systems in the region, we scaled functional unit LCIA scores for adoption rates of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% and compared these to conventional municipal water and well water systems. In addition to investigating watershed-scale impacts of RWH adoption, which few studies have addressed, potential life cycle cost savings due to reduced cumulative energy demand were scaled in each watershed for a more comprehensive analysis. The importance of managing the holistic water balance, including blue water (surface/ground water, green water (rainwater use, and annual precipitation and their relationship to RWH are also addressed. RWH contributes to water resource sustainability by offsetting surface and ground water consumption and by reducing environmental and human health impacts compared to conventional sources. A watershed-wide RWH adoption rate of 25% has a number of ecological and human health benefits including blue water use reduction ranging from 2–39 Mm3, cumulative energy savings of 12–210 TJ, and reduced global warming potential of 600–10,100 Mg CO2 eq. Potential maximum lifetime energy cost savings were estimated at $5M and $24M corresponding to domestic RWH in Greens Mill and agricultural RWH in Back Creek watersheds.

  17. The impact of domestic rainwater harvesting systems in storm water runoff mitigation at the urban block scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palla, A; Gnecco, I; La Barbera, P

    2017-04-15

    In the framework of storm water management, Domestic Rainwater Harvesting (DRWH) systems are recently recognized as source control solutions according to LID principles. In order to assess the impact of these systems in storm water runoff control, a simple methodological approach is proposed. The hydrologic-hydraulic modelling is undertaken using EPA SWMM; the DRWH is implemented in the model by using a storage unit linked to the building water supply system and to the drainage network. The proposed methodology has been implemented for a residential urban block located in Genoa (Italy). Continuous simulations are performed by using the high-resolution rainfall data series for the ''do nothing'' and DRWH scenarios. The latter includes the installation of a DRWH system for each building of the urban block. Referring to the test site, the peak and volume reduction rate evaluated for the 2125 rainfall events are respectively equal to 33 and 26 percent, on average (with maximum values of 65 percent for peak and 51 percent for volume). In general, the adopted methodology indicates that the hydrologic performance of the storm water drainage network equipped with DRWH systems is noticeable even for the design storm event (T = 10 years) and the rainfall depth seems to affect the hydrologic performance at least when the total depth exceeds 20 mm. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Enhanced drinking water supply through harvested rainwater treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naddeo, Vincenzo; Scannapieco, Davide; Belgiorno, Vincenzo

    2013-08-01

    Decentralized drinking water systems represent an important element in the process of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, as centralized systems are often inefficient or nonexistent in developing countries. In those countries, most water quality related problems are due to hygiene factors and pathogens. A potential solution might include decentralized systems, which might rely on thermal and/or UV disinfection methods as well as physical and chemical treatments to provide drinking water from rainwater. For application in developing countries, decentralized systems major constraints include low cost, ease of use, environmental sustainability, reduced maintenance and independence from energy sources. This work focuses on an innovative decentralized system that can be used to collect and treat rainwater for potable use (drinking and cooking purposes) of a single household, or a small community. The experimented treatment system combines in one compact unit a Filtration process with an adsorption step on GAC and a UV disinfection phase in an innovative design (FAD - Filtration Adsorption Disinfection). All tests have been carried out using a full scale FAD treatment unit. The efficiency of FAD technology has been discussed in terms of pH, turbidity, COD, TOC, DOC, Escherichia coli and Total coliforms. FAD technology is attractive since it provides a total barrier for pathogens and organic contaminants, and reduces turbidity, thus increasing the overall quality of the water. The FAD unit costs are low, especially if compared to other water treatment technologies and could become a viable option for developing countries.

  19. CONCENTRATIONS OF INDICATOR ORGANISMS IN THE STORED RAINWATER IN THE MAKANA MUNICIPALITY, SOUTH AFRICA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ROMAN TANDLICH

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Concentrations of indicator organisms in the stored rainwater in the Makana Municipality, South Africa. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals’ target 7C seeks to halve the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. At present, supply of safe drinking water is still intermittent in some parts of South Africa due to infrastructural problems and droughts. Rainwater harvesting could be a solution to this problem. Microbial rainwater quality was evaluated in the Makana Municipality, South Africa. Enumerations were done using the membrane-filtration technique with m-FC and m-Endo agar and the indole test. One sample contained E. coli at 1 colony-forming unit/100 cm3, while the faecal coliform concentrations ranged from 0 to 98 colony-forming units/100 cm3 in all samples. The total coliform concentrations ranged from 0 to 200 colony-forming units/100 cm3. On-site treatment of rainwater was insufficient due to missing first-flush devices. Rainwater is suitable for subsurface irrigation of vegetable gardens. Strategies are required to involve the community in the design and building of new rainwater harvesting systems.

  20. Probabilistic Impact Assessment of Domestic Rainwater Harvesting in Urban Slums: West Africa Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowden, J. R.; Watkins, D. W.; Mihelcic, J. R.; Fry, L. M.

    2007-12-01

    Urban populations now exceed rural populations worldwide, creating unique challenges in providing basic services, especially in developing countries where informal or illegal settlements grow in peri-urban areas. West Africa is an acute example of the problems created by rapid urban growth, with high levels of urban poverty and low water and sanitation access rates. Although considerable effort has been made in providing improved water access and urban services to slum communities, research indicates that clean water access rates are not keeping up with urbanization rates in several areas of the world and that rapidly growing slum communities are beginning to overwhelm many prior water improvements projects. In the face of these challenges, domestic rainwater harvesting is proposed as a technologically appropriate and economically viable option for enhancing water supplies to urban slum households. However, assessing the reliability, potential health impacts, and overall cost-effectiveness of these systems on a regional level is difficult for several reasons. First, long daily rainfall records are not readily available in much of the developing world, including many regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Second, significant uncertainties exist in the relevant cost, water use, and health data. Third, to estimate the potential future impacts at the regional scale, various global change scenarios should be investigated. Finally, in addition to these technical challenges, there is also a need to develop relatively simple and transparent assessment methods for informing policy makers. A procedure is presented for assessment of domestic rainwater harvesting systems using a combination of scenario, sensitivity, and trade-off analyses. Using data from West Africa, simple stochastic weather models are developed to generate rainfall sequences for the region, which are then used to estimate the reliability of providing a range of per capita water supplies. Next, a procedure is

  1. Optimal Spatial Design of Capacity and Quantity of Rainwater Harvesting Systems for Urban Flood Mitigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chien-Lin Huang

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This study adopts rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS into a stormwater runoff management model (SWMM for the spatial design of capacities and quantities of rain barrel for urban flood mitigation. A simulation-optimization model is proposed for effectively identifying the optimal design. First of all, we particularly classified the characteristic zonal subregions for spatial design by using fuzzy C-means clustering with the investigated data of urban roof, land use and drainage system. In the simulation method, a series of regular spatial arrangements specification are designed by using statistical quartiles analysis for rooftop area and rainfall frequency analysis; accordingly, the corresponding reduced flooding circumstances can be simulated by SWMM. Moreover, the most effective solution for the simulation method is identified from the calculated net benefit, which is equivalent to the subtraction of the facility cost from the decreased inundation loss. It serves as the initially identified solution for the optimization model. In the optimization method, backpropagation neural network (BPNN are first applied for developing a water level simulation model of urban drainage systems to substitute for SWMM to conform to newly considered interdisciplinary multi-objective optimization model, and a tabu search-based algorithm is used with the embedded BPNN-based SWMM to optimize the planning solution. The developed method is applied to the Zhong-He District, Taiwan. Results demonstrate that the application of tabu search and the BPNN-based simulation model into the optimization model can effectively, accurately and fast search optimal design considering economic net benefit. Furthermore, the optimized spatial rain barrel design could reduce 72% of inundation losses according to the simulated flood events.

  2. Improved framework model to allocate optimal rainwater harvesting sites in small watersheds for agro-forestry uses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terêncio, D. P. S.; Sanches Fernandes, L. F.; Cortes, R. M. V.; Pacheco, F. A. L.

    2017-07-01

    This study introduces an improved rainwater harvesting (RWH) suitability model to help the implementation of agro-forestry projects (irrigation, wildfire combat) in catchments. The model combines a planning workflow to define suitability of catchments based on physical, socio-economic and ecologic variables, with an allocation workflow to constrain suitable RWH sites as function of project specific features (e.g., distance from rainfall collection to application area). The planning workflow comprises a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) implemented on a Geographic Information System (GIS), whereas the allocation workflow is based on a multiple-parameter ranking analysis. When compared to other similar models, improvement comes with the flexible weights of MCA and the entire allocation workflow. The method is tested in a contaminated watershed (the Ave River basin) located in Portugal. The pilot project encompasses the irrigation of a 400 ha crop land that consumes 2.69 Mm3 of water per year. The application of harvested water in the irrigation replaces the use of stream water with excessive anthropogenic nutrients that may raise nitrosamines in the food and accumulation in the food chain, with severe consequences to human health (cancer). The selected rainfall collection catchment is capable to harvest 12 Mm3·yr-1 (≈ 4.5 × the requirement) and is roughly 3 km far from the application area assuring crop irrigation by gravity flow with modest transport costs. The RWH system is an 8-meter high that can be built in earth with reduced costs.

  3. Development and small-scale validation of a novel pigeon-associated mitochondrial DNA source tracking marker for the detection of fecal contamination in harvested rainwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waso, M; Khan, S; Khan, W

    2018-02-15

    The current study was aimed at designing and validating (on a small-scale) a novel pigeon mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) microbial source tracking (MST) marker for the detection of pigeon fecal matter in harvested rainwater. The pigeon mtDNA MST marker was designed to target the mtDNA Cytochrome b gene by employing mismatch amplification mutation assay kinetics. The pigeon marker was validated by screening 69 non-pigeon and 9 pigeon fecal samples. The host-sensitivity of the assay was determined as 1.00 while the host-specificity of the assay was 0.96. Harvested rainwater samples (n=60) were screened for the prevalence of the marker with the mtDNA Cytochrome b marker detected in 78% of the samples. Bayes' theorem was applied to calculate the conditional probability of the marker detecting true pigeon contamination and the marker subsequently displayed a 99% probability of detecting true pigeon contamination in the harvested rainwater samples. In addition, the mtDNA Cytochrome b marker displayed high concurrence frequencies versus heterotrophic bacteria (78.3%), E. coli (73.3%), total coliforms (71.1%) and fecal coliforms (66.7%). This study thus validates that targeting mtDNA for the design of source tracking markers may be a valuable tool to detect avian fecal contamination in environmental waters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Economic Analysis and Feasibility of Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Urban and Peri-Urban Environments: A Review of the Global Situation with a Special Focus on Australia and Kenya

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caleb Christian Amos

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Rainwater harvesting (RWH plays an important role in increasing water security for individuals and governments. The demand for tools to enable technical and economic analysis of RWH systems has led to a substantial body of research in the recent past. This paper focuses on the economic aspects of domestic RWH in urban and peri-urban environments. In this regard, key issues are identified and discussed including quality and quantity of harvested water, the water demand profile, the scale of installation, interest rates, the period of analysis, real estate value, and the water-energy-food nexus. Kenya and Australia are used as reference points having different economies and opposing RWH policies. It has been found that the previous studies on financial aspects of RWH systems often had conflicting results. Most of the economic analyses have ignored the full benefits that a RWH system can offer. In view of the varying and conflicting results, there is a need to standardize the methods of economic analysis of RWH systems.

  5. Improvement of Groundwater Regime Through Innovative Rainwater Harvesting Along Road Sides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, S. K.

    The paper deals about viable and immediate solution of shortage of drinking water in the countries like India, Asian, and African continents. The paper highlights rainwater harvesting along both the sides of roads with the help of suitable, simple structures, which are easy to maintain. This may turn out to be long-term solution for the areas, which are draught prone, or having below normal rainfall. The example given in the paper for “Golden Quadrilateral” project of express national highways in India is quite illustrative and is applicable to other countries also falling in almost similar kind of climatic zones. The concept given in the paper would enhance water availability 8—10 times compared to natural process of rainfall infiltration. It would also improve quality of ground water and would save considerable energy in lifting the water due to the rise in water levels.

  6. Characterization of rainfall in the central South African Highveld for application in water harvesting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zerizghy, M.G.; Rensburg, van L.D.; Stigter, C.J.

    2012-01-01

    In-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH), a runoff farming system, is a beneficial water management technique for crop production in arid and semi-arid areas. In-field rainwater harvesting is influenced by rainfall characteristics, and hence this study aimed to identify and characterize rainfall events,

  7. A Simulation of Rainwater Harvesting Design and Demand-Side Controls for Large Hospitals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lawrence V. Fulton

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Inpatient health buildings in the United States are the most intensive users of water among large commercial buildings. Large facilities (greater than 1 million square feet consume an average of 90 million gallons per building per year. The distribution and treatment of water imposes a significant electrical power demand, which may be the single largest energy requirement for various states. Supply and demand-side solutions are needed, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where water is scarce. This study uses continuous simulations based on 71 years of historical data to estimate how rainwater harvesting systems and demand-side interventions (e.g., low-flow devices, xeriscaping would offset the demand for externally-provided water sources in a semi-arid region. Simulations from time series models are used to generate alternative rainfall models to account for potential non-stationarity and volatility. Results demonstrate that hospital external water consumption might be reduced by approximately 25% using conservative assumptions and depending on the design of experiment parameters associated with rainfall capture area, building size, holding tank specifications, and conservation efforts.

  8. Treatment Solutions for Rainwater Contaminated with Various Pollutants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Tokar

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This study presents aspects on the environmental pollution with contaminants difficult to manage from sources such as car parking, roads and roofs in crowded areas that have deficient wastewater harvesting urban networks. The contaminants washed by the rainwater that are not collected and treated can reach directly into the natural environment. Thus, rainwater which falls on rough surfaces, especially in car parking and roads without drainage channels carries out various pollutants directly into the soil and water. In order to control environmental pollution there are presented solutions for contaminated rainwater depollution.

  9. Urban rainwater runoff quantity and quality - A potential endogenous resource in cities?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angrill, Sara; Petit-Boix, Anna; Morales-Pinzón, Tito; Josa, Alejandro; Rieradevall, Joan; Gabarrell, Xavier

    2017-03-15

    Rainwater harvesting might help to achieve self-sufficiency, but it must comply with health standards. We studied the runoff quantity and quality harvested from seven urban surfaces in a university campus in Barcelona according to their use (pedestrian or motorized mobility) and materials (concrete, asphalt and slabs). An experimental rainwater harvesting system was used to collect the runoff resulting from a set of rainfall events. We estimated the runoff coefficient and initial abstraction of each surface and analyzed the physicochemical and microbiological properties, and hydrocarbon and metal content of the samples. Rainfall intensity, surface material and state of conservation were essential parameters. Because of low rainfall intensity and surface degradation, the runoff coefficient was variable, with a minimum of 0.41. Concrete had the best quality, whereas weathering and particulate matter deposition led to worse quality in asphalt areas. Physicochemical runoff quality was outstanding when compared to superficial and underground water. Microorganisms were identified in the samples (>1 CFU/100 mL) and treatment is required to meet human consumption standards. Motorized traffic mostly affects the presence of metals such as zinc (31.7 μg/L). In the future, sustainable mobility patterns might result in improved rainwater quality standards. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Holistic blue water use and life cycle cost savings of domestic and agricultural rainwater harvesting at the watershed scale in the Southeast US

    Science.gov (United States)

    According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, from 1970 to 2007 most of the Southeast U.S. received heavy downpours in recent autumns while moderate-to-severe drought increased in spring and summer (12% and 14%). Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is getting attention due to rece...

  11. Model Development of Rainwater Management for Agriculture Decision Support System in Semi Arid Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tunggul S.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Land cultivation for agricultural purposes in semiarid area is usually carried out only once a year specifically during the rainy season. The condition is even worse since it is not without the risk of failure because of dry-spell or water-logging. To cope with this situation, the researchers developed a model of Rainwater Management for Agriculture Decision Supporting System (RMA-DSS. The objective of this RMA-DSS is to facilitate the decision making to build water infrastructure. Using this program it is hoped that sufficient water supply for specific crops with correct planting time can be guaranteed, which in turn will optimize harvest. The model consists of three parts, namely, rainfall-runoff-infiltration model, crop water requirement-irrigation-drainage model and rainwater management for agriculture model. The Models are designed using Microsoft Excel’s Macro Visual Basic and finalized with Visual Basic language program for operating spatial database of map object and non spatial database.

  12. Sustainability of rainwater catchment systems for small island communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Ryan T.; Beikmann, Alise; Kottermair, Maria; Taboroši, Danko; Jenson, John W.

    2018-02-01

    Communities living on atolls and similar low-lying islands in the tropical Pacific rely on rainwater and shallow groundwater to meet domestic water needs. Rainwater, generally captured and stored using rooftop rainwater catchment systems, is the preferred water source due to higher quality and convenience of access. This study assesses the performance of rainwater catchment systems (RWCS) on Ifalik Atoll, located in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific. A field survey was conducted in August 2015 to evaluate RWCS features (guttered roof area, storage tank size, gutter leakage conditions), determine numbers of users, and estimate daily water use via household surveys. All 152 RWCS were surveyed. Water balance modeling was applied to the RWCS to estimate end-of-day stored rainwater volumes for each day of the 1997-1999 time period, during which an El Niño-induced drought occurred. Results indicate that the community is resilient to drought, although the majority of RWCS were depleted of rainwater and hence community sharing was required. Scenario testing indicates that increasing guttered roof area is the optimal strategy for enhancing system reliability. For example, the volume of water maintained at the peak of a drought can be tripled if the available roof areas for the RWCS are guttered. Design curves, which provide a set of roof area - tank volume combinations that achieve specified levels of reliability, were created and can be used to plan new RWCS. Besides offering insights into community-wide water storage and usage patterns and resiliency for Ifalik Atoll, this study presents methods that can be applied to other atoll island communities throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

  13. Impacts of Combined Cooling, Heating and Power Systems, and Rainwater Harvesting on Water Demand, Carbon Dioxide, and NOx Emissions for Atlanta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Jean-Ann; Sung, Sangwoo; Jeong, Hyunju; Broesicke, Osvaldo A; French, Steven P; Li, Duo; Crittenden, John C

    2018-01-02

    The purpose of this study is to explore the potential water, CO 2 and NO x emission, and cost savings that the deployment of decentralized water and energy technologies within two urban growth scenarios can achieve. We assess the effectiveness of urban growth, technological, and political strategies to reduce these burdens in the 13-county Atlanta metropolitan region. The urban growth between 2005 and 2030 was modeled for a business as usual (BAU) scenario and a more compact growth (MCG) scenario. We considered combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems using microturbines for our decentralized energy technology and rooftop rainwater harvesting and low flow fixtures for the decentralized water technologies. Decentralized water and energy technologies had more of an impact in reducing the CO 2 and NO x emissions and water withdrawal and consumption than an MCG growth scenario (which does not consider energy for transit). Decentralized energy can reduce the CO 2 and NO x emissions by 8% and 63%, respectively. Decentralized energy and water technologies can reduce the water withdrawal and consumption in the MCG scenario by 49% and 50% respectively. Installing CCHP systems on both the existing and new building stocks with a net metering policy could reduce the CO 2 , NO x , and water consumption by 50%, 90%, and 75% respectively.

  14. Consideration of rainwater quality parameters for drinking purposes: A case study in rural Vietnam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Minju; Kim, Mikyeong; Kim, Yonghwan; Han, Mooyoung

    2017-09-15

    Rainwater, which is used for drinking purposes near Hanoi, Vietnam, was analysed for water quality based on 1.5 years of monitoring data. In total, 23 samples were collected from different points within two rainwater harvesting systems (RWHSs). Most parameters met the standard except micro-organisms. Coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were detected when the rainwater was not treated with ultraviolet (UV) light; however, analysis of rainwater after UV sterilisation showed no trace of micro-organisms. The RWHSs appear to provide drinking water of relatively good quality compared with surface water and groundwater. The superior quality of the rainwater suggests the necessity for new drinking rainwater standards because applying all of the drinking water quality standards to rainwater is highly inefficient. The traditionally implemented standards could cause more difficulties for developing countries using RWHSs installed decentralized as a source of drinking water, particularly in areas not well supplied with testing equipment, because such countries must bear the expense and time for these measures. This paper proposes the necessity of rainwater quality guideline, which could serve as a safe and cost-effective alternative to provide an access to safe drinking water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Rainwater Harvesting and Social Networks: Visualising Interactions for Niche Governance, Resilience and Sustainability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Ward

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Visualising interactions across urban water systems to explore transition and change processes requires the development of methods and models at different scales. This paper contributes a model representing the network interactions of rainwater harvesting (RWH infrastructure innovators and other organisations in the UK RWH niche to identify how resilience and sustainability feature within niche governance in practice. The RWH network interaction model was constructed using a modified participatory social network analysis (SNA. The SNA was further analysed through the application of a two-part analytical framework based on niche management and the safe, resilient and sustainable (‘Safe and SuRe’ framework. Weak interactions between some RWH infrastructure innovators and other organisations highlighted reliance on a limited number of persuaders to influence the regime and landscape, which were underrepresented. Features from niche creation and management were exhibited by the RWH network interaction model, though some observed characteristics were not represented. Additional Safe and SuRe features were identified covering diverse innovation, responsivity, no protection, unconverged expectations, primary influencers, polycentric or adaptive governance and multiple learning-types. These features enable RWH infrastructure innovators and other organisations to reflect on improving resilience and sustainability, though further research in other sectors would be useful to verify and validate observation of the seven features.

  16. Reducing occurrence of Giardia duodenalis in children living in semiarid regions: impact of a large scale rainwater harvesting initiative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonseca, Jacqueline Evangelista; Carneiro, Mariângela; Pena, João Luiz; Colosimo, Enrico A; da Silva, Nívea Bispo; da Costa, André Gabriel F C; Moreira, Luciano E; Cairncross, Sandy; Heller, Léo

    2014-06-01

    In Brazil, about two million people living in rural semiarid regions were benefited with the construction of rainwater cement cisterns, as an initiative from the program "One Million Cisterns" (P1MC). Nevertheless, few epidemiological studies have been conducted to assess health risks or protection effects associated with consumption of this water source. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether access to rainwater harvesting cisterns is associated with the decrease in the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis infections in children, compared to other children living in households supplied by other water sources. A quasi-experimental study with two concurrent cohorts was developed in two rural municipalities of the semiarid region of Brazil. A sample of 664 children, aged between 4 months and 5 years old, was followed up, of which 332 had access to rainwater cisterns (cistern group) and 332 did not, having water supplied from alternative sources (comparison group). In a period of approximately one year (2010) intestinal parasites were investigated in feces three times. The prevalence of G. duodenalis in children from the cistern group ranged from 4.8 to 10.5%, while the prevalence in the comparison group ranged from 7.6 to 16.7%. Multivariate analysis (GEE) showed a higher risk of G. duodenalis infection in children who did not have access to rainwater cisterns, when compared to children who did (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.14-2.59). The other variables associated with G. duodenalis infection were: number of rooms per house (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.80-0.99); family income (OR0.48; 95% CI 0.26-0.88); birth order (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.17-2.51); preterm children (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.19-2.43); and improper hand hygiene prior to food preparation (OR 4.78; 95% CI 1.95-11.76). Ownership of a rainwater cistern is associated with a lower prevalence of G. duodenalis infection in children after adjustment for environmental and family-related factors. Nevertheless, the study suggests the necessity

  17. Reducing occurrence of Giardia duodenalis in children living in semiarid regions: impact of a large scale rainwater harvesting initiative.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacqueline Evangelista Fonseca

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In Brazil, about two million people living in rural semiarid regions were benefited with the construction of rainwater cement cisterns, as an initiative from the program "One Million Cisterns" (P1MC. Nevertheless, few epidemiological studies have been conducted to assess health risks or protection effects associated with consumption of this water source. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether access to rainwater harvesting cisterns is associated with the decrease in the occurrence of Giardia duodenalis infections in children, compared to other children living in households supplied by other water sources. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A quasi-experimental study with two concurrent cohorts was developed in two rural municipalities of the semiarid region of Brazil. A sample of 664 children, aged between 4 months and 5 years old, was followed up, of which 332 had access to rainwater cisterns (cistern group and 332 did not, having water supplied from alternative sources (comparison group. In a period of approximately one year (2010 intestinal parasites were investigated in feces three times. The prevalence of G. duodenalis in children from the cistern group ranged from 4.8 to 10.5%, while the prevalence in the comparison group ranged from 7.6 to 16.7%. Multivariate analysis (GEE showed a higher risk of G. duodenalis infection in children who did not have access to rainwater cisterns, when compared to children who did (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.14-2.59. The other variables associated with G. duodenalis infection were: number of rooms per house (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.80-0.99; family income (OR0.48; 95% CI 0.26-0.88; birth order (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.17-2.51; preterm children (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.19-2.43; and improper hand hygiene prior to food preparation (OR 4.78; 95% CI 1.95-11.76. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Ownership of a rainwater cistern is associated with a lower prevalence of G. duodenalis infection in children after adjustment for

  18. Life cycle and hydrologic modeling of rainwater harvesting in urban neighborhoods: Implications of urban form and water demand patterns in the US and Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petit-Boix, Anna; Devkota, Jay; Phillips, Robert; Vargas-Parra, María Violeta; Josa, Alejandro; Gabarrell, Xavier; Rieradevall, Joan; Apul, Defne

    2018-04-15

    Water management plays a major role in any city, but applying alternative strategies might be more or less feasible depending on the urban form and water demand. This paper aims to compare the environmental performance of implementing rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in American and European cities. To do so, two neighborhoods with a water-stressed Mediterranean climate were selected in contrasting cities, i.e., Calafell (Catalonia, Spain) and Ukiah (California, US). Calafell is a high-density, tourist city, whereas Ukiah is a typical sprawled area. We studied the life cycle impacts of RWH in urban contexts by using runoff modeling before (i.e. business as usual) and after the implementation of this system. In general, cisterns were able to supply >75% of the rainwater demand for laundry and toilet flushing. The exception were multi-story buildings with roofs smaller than 200m 2 , where the catchment area was insufficient to meet demand. The implementation of RWH was environmentally beneficial with respect to the business-as-usual scenario, especially because of reduced runoff treatment needs. Along with soil features, roof area and water demand were major parameters that affected this reduction. RWH systems are more attractive in Calafell, which had 60% lower impacts than in Ukiah. Therefore, high-density areas can potentially benefit more from RWH than sprawled cities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Integrated system technologies for water and sewage works. Information system technologies for rainwater drainage. Jogesuido sogo system gijutsu. Kou joho system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shinohara, T; Nakada, M; Kondo, S [Toshiba Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

    1994-05-01

    The present report introduces the technological trend of rainwater drainage information system mainly with radar rain gauges. The information network must be strengthened as measures against the urban flood from the rainwater drainage. A radar rain gauge-based combination is needed of synthetic and organic processing technologies covering the traveling prediction of rainfall, data communication and rainwater drainage/flooding prediction. The correction method and data communication/display technology are explained for the measurement with radar rain gauges. In both correlation function method and rainfall area pursuit method, the traveling of rainfall is predicted by utilizing the radar information for the sewerage system. For the drainage analysis, it is necessary to quantitatively estimate the rainwater drained into both main and branch sewerage lines. It is made by preparing a rainwater drainage model. The quantitative estimation of rainwater drained into the branch sewerage lines calls for a revised Road Research Laboratory guidance by the Ministry of Construction. Supplemented with knowledge by veteran operators, the displayed image of pump operation support system is simulated for its verification. 2 refs., 3 figs.

  20. Effects of Climate Change on Urban Rainwater Harvesting in Colombo City, Sri Lanka

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kwong Fai A. Lo

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Cities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to water-related issues due to rapid urbanization, installation of complex infrastructure and changes in rainfall patterns. This study aims at assessing the impacts of climate change on rainwater harvesting systems (RWH in the tropical urban city, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The future climate change projections are downscaled from global circulation models to the urban catchment scale using the Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG, described in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4, coupled with Inter Comparison Project (CMIP3 model results. Historical rainfall data from 1981–2010 is used to simulate long-term future rainfall data from 2011–2099. The percentage change of the rainfall is calculated. The rainfall patterns are analyzed based on the daily, monthly, seasonal and annual time scales. Water requirements are calculated based on the selected scenario types. Rainfall and water demand data are incorporated into a water balance model. Climate change impacts for the selected RWH scenarios are calculated based on the water security analysis for each scenario. Analysis of the future rainfall data of Colombo reveals that several extreme weather events with very heavy rainfall may occur in the future. However, the frequency of these big events may not occur too often. Most of the selected global circulation models (GCMs in this study predict that there will be more rainfall towards the end of this century (2080-2099. Residential RWH systems will be more affected than non-residential systems. RWH systems in Colombo should include potential future climate changes in their future design and planning and be prepared for excess runoff and additional measures against potential overflow and urban floods.

  1. Isotope techniques to identify recharge areas of springs for rainwater harvesting in the mountainous region of Gaucher area, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shivanna, K.; Tirumalesh, K.; Noble, J.; Joseph, T.B.; Singh, Gursharan; Joshi, A.P.; Khati, V.S.

    2008-01-01

    Environmental isotope techniques have been employed to identify the recharge areas of springs in India, in order to construct artificial recharge structures for rainwater harvesting and groundwater augmentation for their rejuvenation. A model project was taken up in the mountainous region of Gaucher area, Chamoli District, Uttarakhand for this purpose. The springs in this regions are seasonal and are derived from seepage waters flowing through the shallow weathered and fractured zone. The chemistry of high-altitude springs is similar to that of precipitation, whereas water-rock interactions contributes to increased mineralization in low-altitude springs. The stable isotopic variation in precipitation suggests that the altitude effect for Gaucher area is -0.55% for δ 18 O and -3.8% for δ 2 H per 100 m rise in altitude. Based on local geology, geomorphology, hydrochemistry and isotope information, the possible recharge areas inferred for valleys 1, 2 and 3 are located at altitudes of 1250, 1330 and 1020 m amsl respectively. Water conservation and recharge structures such as subsurface dykes, check bunds and contour trenches were constructed at the identified recharge areas in the respective valleys for controlling the subsurface flow, rainwater harvesting and groundwater augmentation respectively. As a result, during and after the following monsoon, the discharge rates of the springs not only increased significantly, but also did not dry up even during the dry period. The study shows that the isotope techniques can be effectively used in identifying recharge areas of springs in the Himalayan region. It also demonstrates the advantage of isotope techniques over conventional methods. (author)

  2. Rainwater harvesting to enhance water productivity of rainfed agriculture in the semi-arid Zimbabwe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahinda, Jean-marc Mwenge; Rockström, Johan; Taigbenu, Akpofure E.; Dimes, John

    Zimbabwe’s poor are predominantly located in the semi-arid regions and rely on rainfed agriculture for their subsistence. Decline in productivity, scarcity of arable land, irrigation expansion limitations, erratic rainfall and frequent dry spells, among others cause food scarcity. The challenge faced by small-scale farmers is to enhance water productivity of rainfed agriculture by mitigating intra-seasonal dry spells (ISDS) through the adoption of new technologies such as rainwater harvesting (RWH). The paper analyses the agro-hydrological functions of RWH and assesses its impacts (at field scale) on the crop yield gap as well as the Transpirational Water Productivity ( WPT). The survey in six districts of the semi-arid Zimbabwe suggests that three parameters (water source, primary use and storage capacity) can help differentiate storage-type-RWH systems from “conventional dams”. The Agricultural Production Simulator Model (APSIM) was used to simulate seven different treatments (Control, RWH, Manure, Manure + RWH, Inorganic Nitrogen and Inorganic Nitrogen + RWH) for 30 years on alfisol deep sand, assuming no fertiliser carry over effect from season to season. The combined use of inorganic fertiliser and RWH is the only treatment that closes the yield gap. Supplemental irrigation alone not only reduces the risks of complete crop failure (from 20% down to 7% on average) for all the treatments but also enhances WPT (from 1.75 kg m -3 up to 2.3 kg m -3 on average) by mitigating ISDS.

  3. Physico-chemical and bacteriological quality of rainwater in Egbema ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Physico-chemical and bacteriological quality of rainwater in Egbema was determined with samples harvested directly, from zinc roof, thatched roof and asbestos roof, at different periods of the rainy season namely, Early, peak and late rains. The values of the physico-chemical parameters were on the higher side at the early ...

  4. Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from roof-harvested rainwater tanks and urban pigeon faeces as the likely source of contamination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chidamba, Lizyben; Korsten, Lise

    2015-07-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the risks associated with the use of roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) and the implication of pigeons as the most likely source of contamination by testing for antibiotic resistance profiles of Escherichia coli. A total of 239 E. coli were isolated from thirty fresh pigeon faecal samples (130 isolates), 11 RHRW tanks from three sites in Pretoria (78) and two in Johannesburg (31). E. coli isolates were tested against a panel of 12 antibiotics which included ampicillin, amoxicillin, amikacin, cefoxitin, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid and tetracycline. In all samples, resistance to ampicillin (22.7.9%), gentamicin (23.6%), amikacin (24%), tetracycline (17.4) and amoxicillin (16.9%) were the most frequently encountered form of resistance. However, a relatively higher proportion of isolates from pigeon faeces (67.3%) were antibiotic resistant than those from RHRW (53.3%). The highest number of phenotypes was observed for single antibiotics, and no single antibiotic resistance was observed for chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, cefoxitin, cotrimoxazole, although they were detected in multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) phenotypes. The highest multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) phenotypes were observed for a combination of four antibiotics, on isolates from JHB (18.8%), pigeon faeces (15.2%) and Pretoria (5.1%). The most abundant resistance phenotype to four antibiotics, Ak-Gm-Cip-T was dominated by isolates from pigeon faeces (6.8%) with Pretoria and Johannesburg isolates having low proportions of 1.3 and 3.1%, respectively. Future studies should target isolates from various environmental settings in which rainwater harvesting is practiced and the characterisation of the antibiotic resistance determinant genes among the isolates.

  5. Technical note on drainage systems:design of pipes and detention facilities for rainwater

    OpenAIRE

    Bentzen, Thomas Ruby

    2014-01-01

    This technical note will present simple but widely used methods for the design of drainage systems. The note will primarily deal with surface water (rainwater) which on a satisfactorily way should be transport into the drainage system. Traditional two types of sewer systems exist: A combined system, where rainwater and sewage is transported in the same pipe, and a separate system where the two types of water are transported in individual pipe. This note will only focus on the separate rain/st...

  6. Rainwater harvesting for dryland agriculture in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Temesgen, B.B.

    2012-01-01

    The Ethiopian drylands occupy about 65% of the total land mass (close to 700,000km2) of the country. The predominantly rainfed agriculture in these drylands is highly constrained due to erratic rainfall, long dry-spells and excessive loss of rainwater through non-productive pathways

  7. RAINWATER MANAGEMENT AIMING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF URBAN SURFACE RUNOFF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. HAIDU

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Rainwater Management Aiming to Improve the Quality of Urban Surface Runoff. Currently many urban areas experience the quality degradation of rooftop runoff and accumulated rainwater. The present study aims to estimate the volume of water draining from rooftops within an area of 0.68 km² in the municipality of Cluj-Napoca. The volume of water flowing from rooftops presents a beneficial alternative not only for collecting rainwater for later use, but also for reducing the volume of water and for improving surface runoff quality in urban areas. The procedure was based on the Michel Simplified SCS-CN model, a derived variant of the most popular hydrological model, the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN. The results of the applied method reveal that the highest rooftop runoff water values correspond to the summer months, these being based on daily rainfall data. Estimating the volume of water draining from rooftops for future harvesting is an important step in the sustainable management of rainwater in urban areas and in improving water quality.

  8. Catchment rainwater and cloud water in the dry season in the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, México

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo César Parada Molina

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper evaluates the amount of rainwater and fog captured and its relation with average consumption at the dwelling level in the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, during the period from November 2012 to February 2013. Rainwater is quantified by means of rocker gauges installed on the roofs of houses and fog through an omnidirectional collector commonly known as a rope collector. It is observed that the amount of rainwater collected monthly can represent 20 to 35% of the average monthly consumption, demonstrating that the rainwater harvesting is an alternative supply to meet domestic needs in the dry season. As for the amount of fog captured its values are low although it should highlight the large amount that the vegetation naturally captures.

  9. Assessing the Potential for Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting from Large Public Institutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adugna, Dagnachew; Jensen, Marina Bergen; Lemma, Brook; Gebrie, Geremew Sahilu

    2018-02-14

    As in many other cities, urbanization coupled with population growth worsens the water supply problem of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with a water supply deficit of 41% in 2016. To investigate the potential contribution of rooftop rainwater harvesting (RWH) from large public institutions, 320 such institutions were selected and grouped into 11 categories, from which 25-30% representative 588 rooftops were digitalized and the potential RWH volume computed based on a ten-year rainfall dataset. When comparing the resulting RWH potential with the water consumption, up to 2.3% of the annual, potable water supply can be provided. If reused only within one's own institution, the self-sufficiency varies from 0.9 to 649%. Non-uniform rainfall patterns add uncertainty to these numbers, since the size of the storage tank becomes critical for coverage in the dry season from October to May. Despite the low replacement potential at the city level, RWH from large institutions will enable a significant volume of potable water to be transferred to localities critically suffering from water shortage. Further, large institutions may demonstrate how RWH can be practiced, thus acting as a frontrunner for the dissemination of RWH to other types of rooftops. To narrow the water supply gap, considering rooftop RWH as an alternative water supply source is recommended. However, the present study assumed that financial constraints to install large sized storage tanks are considered as a possible challenge. Thus, future research is needed to investigate the cost-benefit balance along with the invention of a cheap storage tank as they may affect the potential contribution of RWH from rooftops.

  10. Assessing the Potential for Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting from Large Public Institutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dagnachew Adugna

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available As in many other cities, urbanization coupled with population growth worsens the water supply problem of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with a water supply deficit of 41% in 2016. To investigate the potential contribution of rooftop rainwater harvesting (RWH from large public institutions, 320 such institutions were selected and grouped into 11 categories, from which 25–30% representative 588 rooftops were digitalized and the potential RWH volume computed based on a ten-year rainfall dataset. When comparing the resulting RWH potential with the water consumption, up to 2.3% of the annual, potable water supply can be provided. If reused only within one’s own institution, the self-sufficiency varies from 0.9 to 649%. Non-uniform rainfall patterns add uncertainty to these numbers, since the size of the storage tank becomes critical for coverage in the dry season from October to May. Despite the low replacement potential at the city level, RWH from large institutions will enable a significant volume of potable water to be transferred to localities critically suffering from water shortage. Further, large institutions may demonstrate how RWH can be practiced, thus acting as a frontrunner for the dissemination of RWH to other types of rooftops. To narrow the water supply gap, considering rooftop RWH as an alternative water supply source is recommended. However, the present study assumed that financial constraints to install large sized storage tanks are considered as a possible challenge. Thus, future research is needed to investigate the cost-benefit balance along with the invention of a cheap storage tank as they may affect the potential contribution of RWH from rooftops.

  11. Geochemical and Radiological Characteristics of Harvested Rainwater and Surficial Soil in El-Alamein-Alam El-Rum area, Western Mediterranean Coastal Zone, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Sayed, S.A.; Ramadan, A.A.; Salama, M.H.; Diab, M.

    2015-01-01

    This study deals with investigating the geochemical and radiological properties of surficial soil and harvested rainwater in Al-Alamein-Alam El-Rum area located in the western Mediterranean coastal zone of Egypt. Forty five water and soil samples were investigated. The surficial soil has heterogeneous physical, chemical and radiological properties and the texture was dominated by sand clayey loam and sandy loam. The salinities were varied from non-saline (EC=1.25 dS/m) to strongly saline (EC=38 dS/m) and the pH ranged from slightly alkaline (7.6) to strongly alkaline (8.95). The major part of soil samples has chemical composition dominated by Na + and Cl - ions and occasionally Mg2 + and SO 4 2 - ions indicating the existence of different chemical facies. The radioactivity level indicated the dominance of 40 K followed by 226 Ra and 232 Th radionuclides and the average radioactivities in the surficial soil samples were 16.59, 11.75, 290.80 and 1.79 Bq/kg for 226 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K and 137 Cs, respectively. The heterogeneity in major ion and radioactivity concentrations were attributed to the variation in chemical and radionuclide compositions of the exposed rocks in the area where the soils are originated. The harvested rainwater is fresh (EC ranged from 0.24 to 0.83 dS/m) and has alkalinity nature varied between slightly alkaline (pH=7.27) and alkaline (pH=8.69). Its chemical composition was prevailed by Na + and HCO 3 - ions and sometimes Ca 2+ and/or Mg 2+ and SO 4 2 - ions reflecting the presence of various hydrochemical facies. It shows the same trend of radionuclide dominance of soils ( 40 K > 226 Ra > 232 Th). The radioactivity concentrations in harvested water samples were 19, 1.01 and 14.0 Bq/l for 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K, respectively, while the water samples have 137 Cs concentrations under the detection limit and the water rocks interaction is the main reason causing the variation in major ions and radionuclide concentrations. The obtained chemical and

  12. Rainwater drained through fully filled pipes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuhn, B; Koestel, P

    1989-02-01

    The conventional rainwater drainage system according to DIN 1986 always seems to be a point of problemacy in the building services as far as the occupancy of installation shafts and ducts is at stake. The excavation work and the necessary gravity lines are considered to be expensive. The consideration of the necessary slope complicates the installation additionally. Basing on those considerations, the raindraining system with fully filled pipes has been developed. DIN 1986, edition June 1988, part 1, point 6.1.1 allows to install rainwater pipes operated as planned, fully filled without slope. An enterprise specialised in building services investigated all system laws because only by a hydraulically exact balance, the function of the rainwater drainage system operated by negative and positive pressure can be insured. The results of those investigations are integrated in a computer program developed for this purpose.

  13. In situ rainwater harvesting using dead level contours in semi-arid southern Zimbabwe: Insights on the role of socio-economic factors on performance and effectiveness in Gwanda District

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munamati, Muchaneta; Nyagumbo, Isaiah

    Droughts and dry spells which have characterised the past decade in Zimbabwe have seen a marked increase in the promotion and use of in situ rainwater harvesting technologies (RWHTs) as a drought mitigating strategy. A number of these technologies have been tried in recent years which include dead level contours with infiltration pits and deepened contours. Although in situ RWHTs are known to increase food security in drought prone areas, the role of socio-economic factors on their performance in terms of crop yield and scaling out is still not well understood. This study sought to investigate the socio-economic factors which influence the effectiveness of dead level contours for in situ rainwater harvesting and consequently on crop yield. The study involved 14 key informants interviews and questionnaire administration to a total of 55 respondent farmers practising in situ rainwater harvesting with dead level contours. A statistical package (Statistical Package for Social Scientists, SPSS) was used to analyse relationships between performance of RWHTs and attributes such as labour, resources, gender, experience and education. The results show a strong correlation between performance and resource status ( p = 0.004). For example, within the wealthy category, 42.1% were successful, while 14.3% and 13.8% were average and poor performers respectively. Thus within the successful category, 42.1% were wealthy, while 42.1% and 15.8% were medium-rich and resource-constrained respectively. Performance rating was also significantly correlated ( p = 0.007) to gender of household head e.g., within the most successful group 94.7% were men compared to 5.3% women. There was also a significant correlation between resource status and gender ( p = 0.039) such that within the wealthy category, 69.2% of the respondents were men compared to 30.8% women. Labour was found to have no significance on performance ( p > 0.05) even though the majority of key informants (93%) alluded that the

  14. Evaluation of Surface Water Harvesting Potential in Aq Emam Watershed System in the Golestan Province

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    s. nazaryan

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction : Given its low and sparse precipitation both in spatial and temporal scales, Iran is nestled in an arid and semiarid part of the world. On the other hand, because of population growth, urbanization and the development of agriculture and industry sector is frequently encountered with increasing water demand. The increasing trend of water demand will widen the gap between water supply and demand in the future. This, in turn, necessitates urgent attention to the fundamentals of economic planning and allocation of water resources. Considering the limited resources and the declining water table and salinization of groundwater, especially in semi-arid areas forces us to exploit surface waters. When we evaluate the various methods of collecting rainwater, surface water that is the outcome of rainfall-runoff responses in a basin, is found to be a potential source of water and it can be useful to meet some of our water demand if managed properly. Water shortages in arid areas are critical, serious and persistent. Thus, water harvesting is an effective and economic goal. The most important step in the implementation of rain water harvesting systems is proper site selection that could cause significant savings in time and cost. In this study the potential of surface waters in the Aq Emam catchment in the east Golestan province was evaluated. The purpose of this study is to provide a framework for locating areas with water harvesting potential. Materials and Methods: For spatial evaluation of potential runoff, first, the amount of runoff is calculated using curve number and runoff potential maps were prepared with three classes: namely, the potential for low, medium and high levels. Finally, to identify suitable areas for rain water harvesting, rainfall maps, soil texture, slope and land use were weighted and multiplied based on their importance in order to determine the appropriate areas to collect runoff Results and Discussion : The results

  15. Particle behaviour consideration to maximize the settling capacity of rainwater storage tanks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, M Y; Mun, J S

    2007-01-01

    Design of a rainwater storage tank is mostly based on the mass balance of rainwater with respect to the tank, considering aspects such as rainfall runoff, water usage and overflow. So far, however, little information is available on the quality aspects of the stored rainwater, such as the behavior of particles, the effect of retention time of the water in the tank and possible influences of system configuration on water quality in the storage tank. In this study, we showed that the performance of rainwater storage tanks could be maximized by recognizing the importance of water quality improvement by sedimentation and the importance of the system configuration within the tank, as well as the efficient collection of runoff. The efficiency of removal of the particles was increased by there being a considerable distance between the inlet and the outlet in the rainwater storage tank. Furthermore, it is recommended that the effective water depth in a rainwater tank be designed to be more than 3 m and that the rainwater be drawn from as close to the water surface as possible by using a floating suction device. An operation method that increases the retention time by stopping rainwater supply when the turbidity of rainwater runoff is high will ensure low turbidity in the rainwater collected from the tank.

  16. Cesium and strontium loads into a combined sewer system from rainwater runoff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamei-Ishikawa, Nao; Yoshida, Daiki; Ito, Ayumi; Umita, Teruyuki

    2016-12-01

    In this study, combined sewage samples were taken with time in several rain events and sanitary sewage samples were taken with time in dry weather to calculate Cs and Sr loads to sewers from rainwater runoff. Cs and Sr in rainwater were present as particulate forms at first flush and the particulate Cs and Sr were mainly bound with inorganic suspended solids such as clay minerals in combined sewage samples. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis showed Cs and Sr loads from rainwater runoff could be estimated by the total amount of rainfall and antecedent dry weather days. The variation of the Sr load from rainwater to sewers was more sensitive to total amount of rainfall and antecedent dry weather days than that of the Cs load. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Benefit Assessment for Urban Rainwater Measure Configuration Mode in Beijing Based on PROMETHEE Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, L.; Shu, A. P.; Huang, L.

    2017-12-01

    Along with accelerating in Chinese urbanization, a increasing number of urban construction projects have been built, which cause the growth of impervious surface ratio in cities. Large areas of impervious surface hinders city normal natural water cycles, increases surface runoff coefficient, brings flood peak forward, and increases risk of flooding . Therefore, with the view of reducing risk of urban waterlogging disaster, improving water resource cyclic utilization, and maximizing recovery of urban eco-hydrological process, China begins to promote Sponge city construction using LID as core idea. The paper take five kinds of collecting and utilization rainwater measure as research example, analysis their characteristic ,take investment cost, economic benefit and enviromental benefit as principle of assessment. The weight of the evaluation criterion are gained by entropy method. The final evaluation of urban stormwater measures configuration mode based on the low impact development with PROMETHEE method . The sensitivity of evaluation criterion are analysised by GAIA. Finally, the examples are given to explain the feasibility . The result shows that comprehensive benefit of the mode containing green roof, permeable pavement, Sunken green space and rainwater harvesting tank is the highest. It turn out that reasonable and various types rainwater measures and high land utilization is significant for increasing the its comprehensive efficiency. Besides, the environmental benefit of urban rainwater measures is significantly greater than the economic benefit. There is a positive correlation between plant significantly greater than the economic benefit. There is a positive correlation between plant shallow groove, sunken green space and comprehensive benefit of rainwater measure. Because they can effectively removes water pollutants in stormwater. The studies not only have a great significance in optimizing configuration mode of urban rainwater measures, but also push

  18. Water Vapor, Temperature and Wind Profiles within Maize Canopy under in-Field Rainwater Harvesting with Wide and Narrow Runoff Strips

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weldemichael A. Tesfuhuney

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Micrometeorological measurements were used to evaluate heat and water vapor to describe the transpiration (Ev and soil evaporation (Es processes for wide and narrow runoff strips under in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH system. The resulting sigmoid-shaped water vapor (ea in wide and narrow runoff strips varied in lower and upper parts of the maize canopy. In wide runoff strips, lapse conditions of ea extended from lowest measurement level (LP to the upper middle section (MU and inversion was apparent at the top of the canopy. The virtual potential temperature (θv profile showed no difference in middle section, but the lower and upper portion (UP had lower  in narrow, compared to wide, strips, and LP-UP changes of 0.6 K and 1.2 K were observed, respectively. The Ev and Es within the canopy increased the ea concentration as determined by the wind order of magnitude. The ea concentration reached peak at about 1.6 kPa at a range of wind speed value of 1.4–1.8 m∙s−1 and 2.0–2.4 m∙s−1 for wide and narrow treatments, respectively. The sparse maize canopy of the wide strips could supply more drying power of the air in response to atmospheric evaporative demand compared to narrow strips. This is due to the variation in air flow in wide and narrow runoff strips that change gradients in ea for evapotranspiration processes.

  19. Dark-Black Stains on Rooftops: Implications on the Quality of Water Harvested from Rooftops in Uyo Metropolis-Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ihom A.P.

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The study Dark-Black Stains on Rooftops: Implications on the Quality of Water Harvested from Rooftops in Uyo Metropolis-Nigeria has been undertaken. The study took samples of harvested rainwater from the rooftops of buildings in four different locations in Uyo Metropolis. The samples were taken for analysis at the Ministry of Science and Technology Laboratory-Uyo. The parameters of the harvested rainwater investigated covered physical and chemical properties, heavy metals, total organic carbon (TOC and total coliform count (TCC. Gravimetric, titrimetric and instrumental methods of analysis were used in determining the various parameters investigated. The result was analysed by comparing it with WHO and Ministry of Environment standard specifications for drinking water. The result was equally compared with the composition of the dark-black stains on the rooftops to establish whether the stains on the rooftops were from the rainwater. Findings were astounding; the rainwater was acidic in all the four stations and could not meet up with WHO standard for drinking water. Lead values of 0.75 mg/l and 0.22 mg/l in stations 2 and 3 respectively exceeded WHO standard specification of 0.01mg/l for drinking water. The iron content in the water from stations 2, 3, and 4 all exceeded WHO standard specification for drinking water of 0.30mg/l. All the four stations had cadmium content in the rainwater, which was more than WHO specification for drinking water of 0.003mg/l. The water showed bacteria contamination with total coliform count of 118MPN/100ml in station 4. Some of the parameters in the rainwater also reported in the composition of the dark-black stains on the rooftops an indication that the rain contributed to the dark-black stains on the rooftops in Uyo metropolis. The study concluded that harvested rainwater from the rooftops of buildings in Uyo metropolis is polluted and is not suitable for drinking, bathing and even for use in fish farming. The

  20. Rainwater drainage management for urban development based on public-private partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsushita, J; Ozaki, M; Nishimura, S; Ohgaki, S

    2001-01-01

    The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) is one of the biggest implementation bodies for urban development in Japan. UDC has developed rainwater infiltration technology since 1975. This technology has effectively reduced runoff to a river and sewer system in the new town project areas. Recently, UDC has developed a new system which is defined as a "Rainwater Recycle Sewer System", which is supported by "Rainwater Storage and Infiltration Technology (RSIT)" applicable to new town creation and urban renewal. The new system consists of two elements: RSIT components based on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and a stormwater drainage system. Herein, the private sector is responsible for the main part of RSIT, and the public sector is responsible for the stormwater drainage from the development area. As a result, the capacity of public facilities, such as rainwater sewers and stormwater reservoirs, can be reduced effectively. In parallel, the initial/running cost of public facilities is expected to be reduced. In conclusion, the authors would stress the importance of a co-maintenance system also based on PPP, which will be required especially in order to properly operate the whole system for the long term.

  1. Dissolved organic carbon in rainwater from areas heavily impacted by sugar cane burning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, C. H.; Francisco, J. G.; Nogueira, R. F. P.; Campos, M. L. A. M.

    This work reports on rainwater dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from Ribeirão Preto (RP) and Araraquara over a period of 3 years. The economies of these two cities, located in São Paulo state (Brazil), are based on agriculture and related industries, and the region is strongly impacted by the burning of sugar cane foliage before harvesting. Highest DOC concentrations were obtained when air masses traversed sugar cane fields burned on the same day as the rain event. Significant increases in the DOC volume weighted means (VWM) during the harvest period, for both sites, and a good linear correlation ( r = 0.83) between DOC and K (a biomass burning marker) suggest that regional scale organic carbon emissions prevail over long-range transport. The DOC VWMs and standard deviations were 272 ± 22 μmol L -1 ( n = 193) and 338 ± 40 μmol L -1 ( n = 80) for RP and Araraquara, respectively, values which are at least two times higher than those reported for other regions influenced by biomass burning, such as the Amazon. These high DOC levels are discussed in terms of agricultural activities, particularly the large usage of biogenic fuels in Brazil, as well as the analytical method used in this work, which includes volatile organic carbon when reporting DOC values. Taking into account rainfall volume, estimated annual rainwater DOC fluxes for RP (4.8 g C m -2 yr -1) and Araraquara (5.4 g C m -2 yr -1) were close to that previously found for the Amazon region (4.8 g C m -2 yr -1). This work also discusses whether previous calculations of the global rainwater carbon flux may have been underestimated, since they did not consider large inputs from biomass combustion sources, and suffered from a possible analytical bias.

  2. The implementation of biofiltration systems, rainwater tanks and urban irrigation in a single-layer urban canopy model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demuzere, Matthias; Coutts, Andrew; Goehler, Maren; Broadbent, Ashley; Wouters, Hendrik; van Lipzig, Nicole; Gebert, Luke

    2015-04-01

    Urban vegetation is generally considered as a key tool to modify the urban energy balance through enhanced evapotranspiration (ET). Given that vegetation is most effective when it is healthy, stormwater harvesting and retention strategies (such as water sensitive urban design) could be used to support vegetation and promote ET. This study presents the implementation of a vegetated lined bio-filtration system (BFS) combined with a rainwater tank (RWT) and urban irrigation system in the single-layer urban canopy model Community Land Model-Urban. Runoff from roof and impervious road surface fractions is harvested and used to support an adequate soil moisture level for vegetation in the BFS. In a first stage, modelled soil moisture dynamics are evaluated and found reliable compared to observed soil moisture levels from biofiltration pits in Smith Street, Melbourne (Australia). Secondly, the impact of BFS, RWT and urban irrigation on ET is illustrated for a two-month period in 2012 using varying characteristics for all components. Results indicate that (i) a large amount of stormwater is potentially available for indoor and outdoor water demands, including irrigation of urban vegetation, (ii) ET from the BFS is an order of magnitude larger compared to the contributions from the impervious surfaces, even though the former only covers 10% of the surface fraction and (iii) attention should be paid to the cover fraction and soil texture of the BFS, size of the RWT and the surface fractions contributing to the collection of water in the RWT. Overall, this study reveals that this model development can effectuate future research with state-of-the-art urban climate models to further explore the benefits of vegetated biofiltration systems as a water sensitive urban design tool optimised with an urban irrigation system to maintain healthy vegetation.

  3. Network approaches for understanding rainwater management from a social-ecological systems perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven D. Prager

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The premise of this research is to better understand how approaches to implementing rainwater management practices can be informed by understanding how the people living and working in agroecosystems are connected to one another. Because these connections are via both social interactions and functional characteristics of the landscape, a social-ecological network emerges. Using social-ecological network theory, we ask how understanding the structure of interactions can lead to improved rainwater management interventions. Using a case study situated within a small sub-basin in the Fogera area of the Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopia, we build networks of smallholders based both on the biophysical and social-institutional landscapes present in the study site, with the smallholders themselves as the common element between the networks. In turn we explore how structures present in the networks may serve to guide decision making regarding both where and with whom rainwater management interventions could be developed. This research thus illustrates an approach for constructing a social-ecological network and demonstrates how the structures of the network yield insights for tailoring the implementation of rainwater management practices to the social and ecological setting.

  4. water quality determination of rainwater harvesting birkas in harshin

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Osondu

    2012-03-14

    Mar 14, 2012 ... samples, 78.7 % exceed the standard COD value for surface water. Birkas with coliform ... Keywords: Harvesting, Birka, Physical, Chemical, Microbiology. Around 1.1 .... disinfection of water with lower pH value of less than 8 ...

  5. Using Weather Radar to Optimise Operation of an Urban Drainage System with Distributed Rainwater Storage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Michael R.; Thorndahl, Søren Liedtke; Bentzen, Thomas Ruby

    2012-01-01

    and with passive local rainwater storage tanks are used as a reference. The results show that local rain water storage tanks reduce the CSO’s by 50% and lower the maximal water levels in the storm drainage system. The active control clearly outperforms the passive storage strategy.......The perspective of controlling the local rain water storage tanks for a small catchment is investigated to evaluate if a predictive control reduces the CSO from the storm drainage system. A weather radar based nowcast system is used to predict the actual precipitation two hours ahead. In case...... of more than 1 mm rain - the control strategy is set to empty all rainwater storage tanks down to 50% capacity in order to capture a significant part of the approaching rain. This strategy is evaluated though simulation with the MOUSE model. Simulations of scenarios without local storage tanks...

  6. Modeling electric load and water consumption impacts from an integrated thermal energy and rainwater storage system for residential buildings in Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Upshaw, Charles R.; Rhodes, Joshua D.; Webber, Michael E.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Hydronic integrated rainwater thermal storage (ITHERST) system concept presented. • ITHERST system modeled to assess peak electric load shifting and water savings. • Case study shows 75% peak load reduction and 9% increase in energy consumption. • Potable rainwater collection could provide ∼50–90% of water used for case study. - Abstract: The United States’ built environment is a significant direct and indirect consumer of energy and water. In Texas, and other parts of the Southern and Western US, air conditioning loads, particularly from residential buildings, contribute significantly to the peak electricity load on the grid, straining transmission. In parallel, water resources in these regions are strained by growing populations and shrinking supplies. One potential method to address both of these issues is to develop integrated thermal energy and auxiliary water (e.g. rainwater, greywater, etc.) storage and management systems that reduce peak load and freshwater consumption. This analysis focuses on a proposed integrated thermal energy and rainwater storage (ITHERST) system that is incorporated into a residential air-source chiller/heat pump with hydronic distribution. This paper describes a step-wise hourly thermodynamic model of the thermal storage system to assess on-peak performance, and a daily volume-balance model of auxiliary water collection and consumption to assess water savings potential. While the model is generalized, this analysis uses a case study of a single family home in Austin, Texas to illustrate its capabilities. The results indicate this ITHERST system could reduce on-peak air conditioning electric power demand by over 75%, with increased overall electric energy consumption of approximately 7–9%, when optimally sized. Additionally, the modeled rainwater collection reduced municipal water consumption by approximately 53–89%, depending on the system size.

  7. Abundance of Naegleria fowleri in roof-harvested rainwater tank samples from two continents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waso, Monique; Dobrowsky, Penelope Heather; Hamilton, Kerry Ann; Puzon, Geoffrey; Miller, Haylea; Khan, Wesaal; Ahmed, Warish

    2018-02-01

    Roof-harvested rainwater (RHRW) has been used as an alternative source of water in water scarce regions of many countries. The microbiological and chemical quality of RHRW has been questioned due to the presence of bacterial and protozoan pathogens. However, information on the occurrence of pathogenic amoeba in RHRW tank samples is needed due to their health risk potential and known associations with opportunistic pathogens. Therefore, this study aims to determine the quantitative occurrence of Naegleria fowleri in RHRW tank samples from Southeast Queensland (SEQ), Australia (AU), and the Kleinmond Housing Scheme located in Kleinmond, South Africa (SA). In all, 134 and 80 RHRW tank samples were collected from SEQ, and the Kleinmond Housing Scheme, Western Cape, SA, respectively. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays were used to measure the concentrations of N. fowleri, and culture-based methods were used to measure fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus spp. Of the 134 tank water samples tested from AU, 69 and 62.7% were positive for E. coli, and Enterococcus spp., respectively. For the SA tank water samples, FIB analysis was conducted for samples SA-T41 to SA-T80 (n = 40). Of the 40 samples analyzed from SA, 95 and 35% were positive for E. coli and Enterococcus spp., respectively. Of the 134 water samples tested in AU, 15 (11.2%) water samples were positive for N. fowleri, and the concentrations ranged from 1.7 × 10 2 to 3.6 × 10 4 gene copies per 100 mL of water. Of the 80 SA tank water samples screened for N. fowleri, 15 (18.8%) tank water samples were positive for N. fowleri and the concentrations ranged from 2.1 × 10 1 to 7.8 × 10 4 gene copies per 100 mL of tank water. The prevalence of N. fowleri in RHRW tank samples from AU and SA thus warrants further development of dose-response models for N. fowleri and a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) to inform and prioritize strategies for reducing

  8. The potential use of rainwater as alternative source of drinking water by using laterite soil as natural adsorbent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omar, Khairunnisa Fakhriah Mohd; Palaniandy, Puganeshwary; Adlan, Mohd Nordin; Aziz, Hamidi Abdul; Subramaniam, Ambarasi

    2017-10-01

    Generally, the rainwater has low concentration of pollutants, whereby it is applicable for domestic water supply. Due to the low concentration of pollutants, further treatment such as adsorption is necessary to treat the harvested rainwater as an alternative source of drinking water supply. Therefore, this research has been carried out to determine the quality of rainwater from different types of locations, which are; rural residential area, urban residential area, agricultural area, industrial area, and open surface. The rainwater sampling was carried out from September 2014 to December 2015. The parameters that have been analysed during the sampling process are chemical oxygen demand (COD), turbidity, heavy metals, and Escherichia coli (E.coli). The sampling results show that the rainwater provides low concentration of contaminants. Thus, it has high potential to be used as alternative source of potable and non potable water supply with a suitable treatment. Due to that, an experimental work contained of 86 of designated experiments for a batch study has been carried out to determine the performance of laterite soil as an adsorbent to remove pollutants that present in the rainwater (i.e. zinc, manganese, and E.coli). The operating factors involved in the experimental works are pH, mass of adsorbents, contact time, initial concentration of zinc, manganese, and E.coli. In this study, the experimental data of the batch study was analysed by developing regression model equation and analysis of variance. Perturbation plots were analysed to determine the effectiveness of the operating factors by developing response surface model, resulting that the high removals of zinc, manganese, and E.coli are 95.8%, 94.05% and 100%, respectively. Overall, this research works found out that the rainwater has a good quality as alternative source of drinking water by providing a suitable treatment. The application of laterite soil as natural adsorbent shows that it has potential to be

  9. Pittsburgh rainwater analysis by PIXE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chan, K C; Cohen, B L; Frohliger, J O; Shabason, L

    1976-01-01

    Concentrations of thirteen elements in rainwater from the Pittsburgh, Pa., area were analysed by Charged Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). They were compared to rainwater in a rural area and air particulates in Pittsburgh. Local and non-local contributions are discussed. Washout ratios were calculated and found to be larger for smaller size particles, contrary to general belief. The work demonstrates the convenience of using PIXE.

  10. Synchrotron radiation total reflection for rainwater analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simabuco, Silvana M.; Matsumoto, Edson

    1999-01-01

    Total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis excited with synchrotron radiation (SR-TXRF) has been used for rainwater trace element analysis. The samples were collected in four different sites at Campinas City, SP. Standard solutions with gallium as internal standard were prepared for the calibration system. Rainwater samples of 10 μl were putted onto Perspex reflector disk, dried on vacuum and analyzed for 100 s measuring time. The detection limits obtained for K-shell varied from 29 ng.ml -1 for sulfur to 1.3 ng.ml -1 for zinc and copper, while for L-shell the values were 4.5 ng.ml -1 for mercury and 7.0 ng.ml -1 for lead. (author)

  11. Research of Rainwater Infiltration in Eastern Slovakia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hudáková Gabriela

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Today precipitation water in the majority of built up and other sealed surface areas no longer reach the water circulation system via natural routes. This can lead to long-term changes to the soil and water resources, reduce the natural local regeneration of the groundwater and have effects on the chemical and biological conditions above and below the ground surface. Reasonable rainwater management leads to maintain or recover a sound and sustainable water cycle. The purpose of this paper is to present objectives and monitoring of a drainage project in Eastern Slovakia, in Kosice city. The paper focuses on percolation facilities in the research area of campus of Technical University and measurements connected with rainwater infiltration.

  12. Rainwater Wildlife Area Management Plan Executive Summary : A Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Childs, Allen B.

    2002-02-01

    access. During the past two years, non-Indian public concern over big game hunting issues has at times overwhelmed other issues related to the wildlife area. In 2001, the CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Committee closed the wildlife area to tribal branch antlered bull elk harvest in response to harvest data that indicated harvest rates were greater than expected. In addition, illegal harvest of mature bull elk in southeastern Washington during the 2001 season exceeded the legal tribal and nontribal harvest combined which has created a potential significant regression in the bull;cow ratio in the Blue Mountain Elk herd. CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Committee and staff and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Regional Director and staff have been coordinating regularly to develop strategies to address harvest rates and ensure protection of viable big game herds in southeastern Washington. The CTUIR Fish and Wildlife Committee and WDFW has jointly agreed to continue close coordination on this and other issues and continue working together to ensure the long-term vigor of the elk herd on the Rainwater Wildlife Area. The purpose of the project is to protect, enhance, and mitigate fish and wildlife resources impacted by Columbia River Basin hydroelectric development. The effort is one of several wildlife mitigation projects in the region developed to compensate for terrestrial habitat losses resulting from the construction of McNary and John Day Hydroelectric facilities located on the mainstem Columbia River. While this project is driven primarily by the purpose and need to mitigate for wildlife habitat losses, it is also recognized that management strategies will also benefit many other non-target fish and wildlife species and associated natural resources.

  13. RAINWATER MANAGEMENT IN PROTECTED AREAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wioletta Żarnowiec

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to find out whether the climate of the southern Poland allows for removing rainwater from industrial areas by evaporation from roof surfaces. The study covered the premises of a Logistics Centre with an approximate area of 34 hectares, located in the catchment of the Wedonka stream and in the region of water intake for Kraków at the Rudawa river. In the future, the Centre will comprise nine large warehouses. Road traffic associated with the project will cause potential risks for groundwater and surface water of this protected area. Therefore, the Centre’s investor decided to evaporate rainwater from the premises. To establish advisability of this plan, the study team designed and built a unique experimental station consisting of experimental roof, tank for collecting water for the sprinkler system, system for delivering, distributing and discharging water from the roof, measuring tilt tray, automatic meteorological station, and electronic devices for recording measurement data. The research on the experimental station was carried out from April to October in 2011 and 2012 and included continuous measurements of the volume of water supplied to and discharged from the roof. Moreover, the temperature of the roof and water in the tank and a number of important meteorological parameters were measured. The difference between supplied and discharged water, divided by the wetted surface of the roof, helped to determine thickness of the evaporation layer in millimeters. The study confirmed the possibility of removing potentially contaminated rainwater by evaporating it from roof surfaces of the Logistics Centre located near Kraków at an average rate of 5.9 dm3·m–2.d–1. However, due to high seasonal variability of rainfall and air temperature, it is necessary to temporarily collect water in an expansion tank of suitable capacity.

  14. Noble Gas Signatures in Groundwater and Rainwater on the Island of Maui, Hawaii - Developing a New Noble Gas Application in Fractured, Volcanic Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castro, M. C.; Niu, Y.; Warrier, R. B.; Hall, C. M.; Gingerich, S. B.; Scholl, M. A.; Bouvier, L.

    2014-12-01

    Recent work in the Galapagos Islands suggests that noble gas temperatures (NGTs) in fractured groundwater systems reflect the temperature of the ground surface at the time of infiltration rather than the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) value as commonly assumed in sedimentary systems where NGTs are typically used as indicators of past climate. This suggests that noble gases in fractured areas may record seasonality, and thus, provide information about timing of recharge in addition to location. Calculation of NGTs assumes that rain-derived recharge at the water table is in equilibrium with ground air. Lack of noble gas equilibration with respect to surface conditions, however, was observed in high-altitude springs in the Galapagos Islands and in a rainwater pilot study in Michigan, supporting the NGT seasonality hypothesis. Developing this new NGT application will lead to a better understanding of fractured groundwater flow systems and will contribute to improved water resource management plans. This study, carried out on Maui, Hawaii, is meant to test these hypotheses while improving knowledge of this island's groundwater flow system where limited hydrologic data are available. Here, we present the first results of noble gas analyses from samples collected in springs, groundwater wells and rainwater on northeast Maui. Results show that like most Michigan rainwater samples, rainwater from Maui is in disequilibrium with surface conditions and follows a mass-dependent pattern. Spring samples follow a similar pattern to that of rainwater and suggest that spring water originates directly from rainfall. These findings further support the hypothesis of NGT seasonality. However, while the atmospheric composition of noble gases points to direct supply from rainfall to spring aquifer systems, a direct connection between spring water and deeper aquifer levels or the mantle is apparent from He isotopic ratios which display an almost pure He mantle component in some springs.

  15. Leachability of metals from gold tailings by rainwater: an ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2016-01-01

    Jan 1, 2016 ... potentially leach into the surrounding soils and water systems ... Rainwater is the major source of oxygenated water that is responsible for the ..... their acid mine drainage potential, Johannesburg, South Africa. Water SA 32 (4) ...

  16. Harvesting of short rotation coppice. Harvesting trials with a cut and storage system in Germany

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schweier, J.; Becker, G.

    2012-11-01

    Short rotation coppice (SRC) harvesting techniques are available in Germany, but broad experience and knowledge about machine performance and the related effective costs of harvesting operations are still missing. This information is crucial, as harvesting costs strongly influence the economic performance of the overall supply chain. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to collect and analyze productivity data of different harvesting systems for SRC. The combined cut and chip system on the one hand and the cut and storage system on the other hand were studied by literature review. Several studies analyze the combined cut and chip systems and the reported machine productivities showed great variations. The average was 30 green tons per scheduled machine hour (gt smh{sup -1}). Few studies are analysing the cut and storage system. They report that machines still are under development and that further research is needed. Therefore, time studies of harvesting operations using the cut and storage system were carried out. Five trials were performed with the harvesting machine 'Stemster MK III' developed by Nordic Biomass. The share of productive working time was 85% and the average productivity was 21 gt smh{sup -1}. These results were compared with values from the literature. Resulting harvesting costs were calculated per oven dry ton (Euro odt{sup -1}). The advantages and disadvantages of both harvesting systems are highlighted. (orig.)

  17. Rainwater Management in the Urban Landscape of Wroclaw in Terms of Adaptation to Climate Changes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarzyna Tokarczyk-Dorociak

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Modern city development requires increasing investments in so-called green and blue infrastructure. Water deficits and frequent droughts are a motivation to introduce economic water management and rainwater retention. Urban areas, which are often intensively developed and sealed, have lost their natural ability to retain rainwater. This is often the cause of urban floods that occur as a result of intense rainfall events, whose intensity exceeds the capacity of urban drainage systems. These problems are caused by low surface and soil retention. These negative phenomena force us to take certain actions related to urban hydrology, such as determining catchments in urban areas and capturing rainwater. Town and city management must take into account also the functional and aesthetic aspects with the aim to improve the life quality of residents. Rainwater management on site of the rainfall allows to combine sustainable water management with creating places of high aesthetic and functional value. The paper outlines the policy of the city Wrocław with respect to rainwater management and presents proposed solutions for a selected street, large-surface parking lot and a city square. Calculating the rainfall amount correctly and then preparing a land management design allows to use rainwater in creating attractive recreation areas.

  18. Spatial Runoff Estimation and Mapping of Potential Water Harvesting Sites: A GIS and Remote Sensing Perspective, Northwest Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mekonnen, M.M.; Melesse, A.M.; Keesstra, S.D.

    2016-01-01

    Freshwater resources scarcity is becoming a limiting factor for development and sustenance in most parts of Ethiopia. The Debre Mewi watershed, in northwest Ethiopia, is one of such areas where the need for supplemental water supply through rainwater harvesting is essential. Suitable water

  19. Farm Size and the Share of Irrigated Land in total Landholding: the case of Water-Harvesting Irrigation in Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wakeyo, M.B.; Gardebroek, C.

    2011-01-01

    Rain-fall shortage constrains production in small-holder agriculture in developing countries and with ongoing climate change these shortages may increase. Rain-water harvesting are interesting technologies that decrease this risk. Therefore, one would expect an increasing use of these technologies

  20. Rainwater capacities for BTEX scavenging from ambient air

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šoštarić, A.; Stanišić Stojić, S.; Vuković, G.; Mijić, Z.; Stojić, A.; Gržetić, I.

    2017-11-01

    The contribution of atmospheric precipitation to volatile organic compound (VOC) removal from the atmosphere remains a matter of scientific debate. The aim of this study was to examine the potential of rainwater for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) scavenging from ambient air. To that end, air and rainwater samples were collected simultaneously during several rain events that occurred over two distinct time periods in the summer and autumn of 2015. BTEX concentrations in the gaseous and aqueous phases were determined using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. The results reveal that the registered amounts of BTEX in rainwater samples were higher than those predicted by Henry's law. Additional analysis, including physico-chemical characterization and source apportionment, was performed and a possible mechanism underlying the BTEX adsorption to the aqueous phase was considered and discussed herein. Finally, regression multivariate methods (MVA) were successfully applied (with relative errors from 20%) to examine the functional dependency of BTEX enrichment factor on gaseous concentrations, physico-chemical properties of rainwater and meteorological parameters.

  1. USE THE METHOD OF DIMENSIONING OF INFILTRATION-RETENTION BASINS FOR MANAGEMENT OF RAINWATER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Suchanek

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The easiest way to “use” rainwater is its detention in places where it falls, and referral to the ground. Systems of rainwater utilization system can be implemented in different variants. In the simplest configuration it is a tank, with a runoff from the roof. The principle of operation of the tank (basin is a method for rain water management. The article presents a practical application of methods of dimensioning infiltration basins by performing calculations showing how to alter the dimensions of the basin when changing the ground conditions while maintaining the same filling.

  2. Harvesting systems for the northern forest hardwoods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chris B. LeDoux

    2011-01-01

    This monograph is a summary of research results and environmental compliance measures for timber harvesting operations. Data are presented from the Northern Research Station's forest inventory and analysis of 20 states in the northern forest hardwoods. Harvesting systems available in the region today are summarized. Equations for estimating harvesting costs are...

  3. Productivity and cost of conventional understory biomass harvesting systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douglas E. Miller; Thomas J. Straka; Bryce J. Stokes; William Watson

    1987-01-01

    Conventional harvesting equipment was tested for removing forest understory biomass (energywood) for use as fuel. Two types of systems were tested--a one-pass system and a two-pass system. In the one-pass system, the energywood and pulpwood were harvested simultaneously. In the two-pass system, the energywood was harvested in a first pass through the stand, and the...

  4. [Spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture of mountain apple orchards with rainwater collection and infiltration (RWCI) system in the Loess Plateau, China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xiao Lin; Zhao, Xi Ning; Gao, Xiao Dong; Wu, Pu Te; Ma, Wen; Yao, Jie; Jiang, Xiao Li; Zhang, Wei

    2017-11-01

    Water scarcity is a critical factor influencing rain-fed agricultural production on the Loess Plateau, and the exploitation of rainwater is an effective avenue to alleviate water scarcity in this area. This study was conducted to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of soil moisture in the 0-300 cm under a 21-year-old apple orchard with the rainwater collection and infiltration (RWCI) system by using a time domain reflectometer (TDR) probe on the Loess Plateau. The results showed that there was a low soil moisture zone in the 40-80 cm under the CK, and the RWCI system significantly increased soil moisture in this depth interval. Over this depth, the annual average soil moisture under RWCI 40 , RWCI 60 and RWCI 80 was 39.2%, 47.2% and 29.1% higher than that of bare slope (BS) and 75.3%, 85.4% and 62.7% higher than that of CK, respectively. The maximum infiltration depth of water under RWCI 40 , RWCI 60 and RWCI 80 was 80 cm, 120 cm and 180 cm, respectively, and the soil moisture in the 0-60, 0-100 and 0-120 cm was more affected by RWCI 40 , RWCI 60 and RWCI 80 , respectively. Over the whole growth period of apple tree, the maximum value of soil moisture content in the 0-300 cm existed in the RWCI 80 treatment, followed by the RWCI 40 and RWCI 60 treatments. Overall, the RWCI system is an effective meaning of transforming rainwater to available water resources and realizing efficient use of agricultural water on the Loess Plateau.

  5. Applicability assessment of ceramic microbeads coated with hydroxyapatite-binding silver/titanium dioxide ceramic composite earthplus™ to the eradication of Legionella in rainwater storage tanks for household use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oana, Kozue; Kobayashi, Michiko; Yamaki, Dai; Sakurada, Tsukasa; Nagano, Noriyuki; Kawakami, Yoshiyuki

    2015-01-01

    Water environments appear to be the habitats of Legionella species. Legionellosis is considered as a preventable illness because bacterial reservoirs can be controlled and removed. Roof-harvested rainwater has attracted significant attention not only as a groundwater recharge but also as a potential alternative source of nonpotable water. We successfully developed ceramic microbeads coated with hydroxyapatite-binding silver/titanium dioxide ceramic composite earthplus™ using the thermal spraying method. The ceramic microbeads were demonstrated to have bactericidal activities against not only Legionella but also coliform and heterotrophic bacteria. Immersing the ceramic microbeads in household rainwater storage tanks was demonstrated to yield the favorable eradication of Legionella organisms. Not only rapid-acting but also long-lasting bactericidal activities of the ceramic microbead were exhibited against Legionella pneumophila. However, time-dependent attenuation of the bactericidal activities against Legionella were also noted in the sustainability appraisal experiment. Therefore, the problems to be overcome surely remain in constantly managing the Legionella-pollution by means of immersing the ceramic microbeads. The results of our investigation apparently indicate that the earthplus™-coated ceramic microbeads would become the favorable tool for Legionella measures in household rainwater storage tanks, which may become the natural reservoir for Legionella species. Our investigation would justify further research and data collection to obtain more reliable procedures to microbiologically regulate the Legionella in rainwater storage tanks.

  6. Applicability assessment of ceramic microbeads coated with hydroxyapatite-binding silver/titanium dioxide ceramic composite earthplus™ to the eradication of Legionella in rainwater storage tanks for household use

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oana, Kozue; Kobayashi, Michiko; Yamaki, Dai; Sakurada, Tsukasa; Nagano, Noriyuki; Kawakami, Yoshiyuki

    2015-01-01

    Water environments appear to be the habitats of Legionella species. Legionellosis is considered as a preventable illness because bacterial reservoirs can be controlled and removed. Roof-harvested rainwater has attracted significant attention not only as a groundwater recharge but also as a potential alternative source of nonpotable water. We successfully developed ceramic microbeads coated with hydroxyapatite-binding silver/titanium dioxide ceramic composite earthplus™ using the thermal spraying method. The ceramic microbeads were demonstrated to have bactericidal activities against not only Legionella but also coliform and heterotrophic bacteria. Immersing the ceramic microbeads in household rainwater storage tanks was demonstrated to yield the favorable eradication of Legionella organisms. Not only rapid-acting but also long-lasting bactericidal activities of the ceramic microbead were exhibited against Legionella pneumophila. However, time-dependent attenuation of the bactericidal activities against Legionella were also noted in the sustainability appraisal experiment. Therefore, the problems to be overcome surely remain in constantly managing the Legionella-pollution by means of immersing the ceramic microbeads. The results of our investigation apparently indicate that the earthplus™-coated ceramic microbeads would become the favorable tool for Legionella measures in household rainwater storage tanks, which may become the natural reservoir for Legionella species. Our investigation would justify further research and data collection to obtain more reliable procedures to microbiologically regulate the Legionella in rainwater storage tanks. PMID:26346201

  7. Observations and analytical modeling of freshwater and rainwater lenses in coastal dune systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stuijfzand, Pieter

    2016-01-01

    Observations are reported on (i) groundwater recharge rates under various types of vegetation as measured with megalysimeters in the dunes, (ii) freshwater lenses along the Dutch North Sea coast in the early 1900s, and (iii) rainwater lenses that develop on top of laterally migrating,

  8. Wireless Underwater Monitoring Systems Based on Energy Harvestings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sea-Hee HWANGBO

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the important research fields for aquatic exploitation and conservation is underwater wireless sensor network. Since limited energy source for underwater nodes and devices is a main open problem, in this paper, we propose wireless underwater monitoring systems powered by energy harvester which resolves the energy constraint. The target system generates renewable energy from energy harvester and shares the energy with underwater sensor nodes. For the realization of the system, key components to be investigated are discriminated as follows: acoustic modem, actuator, smart battery charge controller, energy harvester and wireless power transfer module. By developing acoustic modem, actuator and smart battery charge controller and utilizing off-the-shelf energy harvester and wireless power transfer module, we design and implement a prototype of the system. Also, we verify the feasibility of concept of target system by conducting indoor and outdoor experiments.

  9. Determination of radionuclide levels in rainwater using ion exchange resin and γ-spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jungck, Matthias H.A.; Andrey, Jean-Louis; Froidevaux, Pascal

    2009-01-01

    The evaluation of radioactivity accidentally released into the atmosphere involves determining the radioactivity levels of rainwater samples. Rainwater scavenges atmospheric airborne radioactivity in such a way that surface contamination can be deduced from rainfall rate and rainwater radioactivity content. For this purpose, rainwater is usually collected in large surface collectors and then measured by γ-spectrometry after such treatments as evaporation or iron hydroxide precipitation. We found that collectors can be adapted to accept large surface (diameter 47 mm) cartridges containing a strongly acidic resin (Dowex AG 88) which is able to quantitatively extract radioactivity from rainwater, even during heavy rainfall. The resin can then be measured by γ-spectrometry. The detection limit is 0.1 Bq per sample of resin (80 g) for 137 Cs. Natural 7 Be and 210 Pb can also be measured and the activity ratio of both radionuclides is comparable with those obtained through iron hydroxide precipitation and air filter measurements. Occasionally 22 Na has also been measured above the detection limit. A comparison between the evaporation method and the resin method demonstrated that 2/3 of 7 Be can be lost during the evaporation process. The resin method is simple and highly efficient at extracting radioactivity. Because of these great advantages, we anticipate it could replace former rainwater determination methods. Moreover, it does not necessitate the transportation of large rainwater volumes to the laboratory

  10. Dynamics of the chemical composition of rainwater throughout Hurricane Irene

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. M. Mullaugh

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Sequential sampling of rainwater from Hurricane Irene was carried out in Wilmington, NC, USA on 26 and 27 August 2011. Eleven samples were analyzed for pH, major ions (Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, NH4+, dissolved organic carbon (DOC and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2. Hurricane Irene contributed 16% of the total rainwater and 18% of the total chloride wet deposition received in Wilmington NC during all of 2011. This work highlights the main physical factors influencing the chemical composition of tropical storm rainwater: wind speed, wind direction, back trajectory and vertical mixing, time of day and total rain volume. Samples collected early in the storm, when winds blew out of the east, contained dissolved components indicative of marine sources (salts from sea spray and low DOC. The sea-salt components in the samples had two maxima in concentration during the storm the first of which occurred before the volume of rain had sufficiently washed out sea salt from the atmosphere and the second when back trajectories showed large volumes of marine surface air were lifted. As the storm progressed and winds shifted to a westerly direction, the chemical composition of the rainwater became characteristic of terrestrial storms (high DOC and NH4+ and low sea salt. This work demonstrates that tropical storms are not only responsible for significant wet deposition of marine components to land, but terrestrial components can also become entrained in rainwater, which can then be delivered to coastal waters via wet deposition. This study also underscores why analysis of one composite sample can lead to an incomplete interpretation of the factors that influence the chemically divergent analytes in rainwater during extreme weather events.

  11. Harvesting systems and costs for southern pine in the 1980s

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frederick W. Cubbage; James E. Granskog

    1981-01-01

    Timber harvesting systems and their costs are a major concern for the forest products industries. In this paper, harvest costs per cord are estimated, using computer simulation, for current southern pine harvesting systems. The estimations represent a range of mechanization levels. The sensitivity of systems to factors affecting harvest costs - machine costs, fuel...

  12. Microelectronic circuit design for energy harvesting systems

    CERN Document Server

    Di Paolo Emilio, Maurizio

    2017-01-01

    This book describes the design of microelectronic circuits for energy harvesting, broadband energy conversion, new methods and technologies for energy conversion. The author also discusses the design of power management circuits and the implementation of voltage regulators. Coverage includes advanced methods in low and high power electronics, as well as principles of micro-scale design based on piezoelectric, electromagnetic and thermoelectric technologies with control and conditioning circuit design. Provides a single-source reference to energy harvesting and its applications; Serves as a practical guide to microelectronics design for energy harvesting, with application to mobile power supplies; Enables readers to develop energy harvesting systems for wearable/mobile electronics.

  13. Optimal Spatial Design of Capacity and Quantity of Rainwater Catchment Systems for Urban Flood Mitigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, C.; Hsu, N.

    2013-12-01

    This study imports Low-Impact Development (LID) technology of rainwater catchment systems into a Storm-Water runoff Management Model (SWMM) to design the spatial capacity and quantity of rain barrel for urban flood mitigation. This study proposes a simulation-optimization model for effectively searching the optimal design. In simulation method, we design a series of regular spatial distributions of capacity and quantity of rainwater catchment facilities, and thus the reduced flooding circumstances using a variety of design forms could be simulated by SWMM. Moreover, we further calculate the net benefit that is equal to subtract facility cost from decreasing inundation loss and the best solution of simulation method would be the initial searching solution of the optimization model. In optimizing method, first we apply the outcome of simulation method and Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) for developing a water level simulation model of urban drainage system in order to replace SWMM which the operating is based on a graphical user interface and is hard to combine with optimization model and method. After that we embed the BPNN-based simulation model into the developed optimization model which the objective function is minimizing the negative net benefit. Finally, we establish a tabu search-based algorithm to optimize the planning solution. This study applies the developed method in Zhonghe Dist., Taiwan. Results showed that application of tabu search and BPNN-based simulation model into the optimization model not only can find better solutions than simulation method in 12.75%, but also can resolve the limitations of previous studies. Furthermore, the optimized spatial rain barrel design can reduce 72% of inundation loss according to historical flood events.

  14. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal - Vol 65 (1999)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    SESSION III – IRRIGATION, DRAINAGE AND WATER HARVESTING - Water ... DRAINAGE AND WATER HARVESTING - Rainwater management for dry spell ... WATER CONSERVATION - Conservation tillage systems for dryland farming: ...

  15. Computer software to estimate timber harvesting system production, cost, and revenue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dr. John E. Baumgras; Dr. Chris B. LeDoux

    1992-01-01

    Large variations in timber harvesting cost and revenue can result from the differences between harvesting systems, the variable attributes of harvesting sites and timber stands, or changing product markets. Consequently, system and site specific estimates of production rates and costs are required to improve estimates of harvesting revenue. This paper describes...

  16. Microbiological investigations of rainwater and graywater collected for toilet flushing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen

    2002-01-01

    of the reference toilets (32 toilets). This means that the use of rainwater introduced new, potentially pathogenic microorganisms into the households which would normally not occur in toilets supplied with water from waterworks. Furthermore, four graywater systems were investigated where water from the shower...... and hand wash basin was reused. The graywater systems gave more problems in terms of bad smell and substantially higher numbers of E. coli and Enterococcus in some toilet bowls supplied with graywater....

  17. Sustainable Water Management in the Tourism Economy: Linking the Mediterranean’s Traditional Rainwater Cisterns to Modern Needs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jared Enriquez

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Communities on islands with mass-tourism, like Santorini, rely on vast quantities of water to develop the local economy. Today’s inhabitants of Santorini have largely abandoned the traditional cisterns that were used to sustain the island’s pre-modern civilizations in favor of water obtained from desalinization, ship deliveries, and well withdrawals. In June 2016, Cornell University researchers worked with the Water and Sewage Authority of Thera (DEYATH to assess the viability of improving sustainability and water efficiency by restoring traditional rainwater harvesting and storage cisterns. The team surveyed five cisterns, held meetings with water authority staff and mayoral leadership, conducted interviews with local tourism stakeholders, and coordinated with Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean. One conclusion was that cisterns could be rehabilitated as decentralized storage reservoirs and integrated into the island’s centralized water systems, or alternatively, serve as educational and cultural spaces used to communicate the importance of water to residents and tourists. The research findings highlight how multi-stakeholder partnerships could assist local authorities with developing new water management initiatives to foster more sustainable models of tourism development.

  18. CMOS indoor light energy harvesting system for wireless sensing applications

    CERN Document Server

    Ferreira Carvalho, Carlos Manuel

    2016-01-01

    This book discusses in detail the CMOS implementation of energy harvesting.  The authors describe an integrated, indoor light energy harvesting system, based on a controller circuit that dynamically and automatically adjusts its operation to meet the actual light circumstances of the environment where the system is placed.  The system is intended to power a sensor node, enabling an autonomous wireless sensor network (WSN). Although designed to cope with indoor light levels, the system is also able to work with higher levels, making it an all-round light energy harvesting system.  The discussion includes experimental data obtained from an integrated manufactured prototype, which in conjunction with a photovoltaic (PV) cell, serves as a proof of concept of the desired energy harvesting system.  ·         Discusses several energy sources which can be used to power energy harvesting systems and includes an overview of PV cell technologies  ·         Includes an introduction to voltage step-...

  19. Organic composition in the dry season rainwater of Guangzhou, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tao; Song, Zhiguang; Liu, Junfeng; Wang, Cuiping; Wei, Jianrong; Chen, Heng

    2008-02-01

    This paper reports the results from a study of the organic composition of rainwater collected at Tianhe district of Guangzhou city, P.R. China, during the dry season. Several special setups of a pyrex bottle with a glass funnel were used for the collection of the rainwater. Three fractions (aliphatics, PAHs and fatty acids) were separated from the total extracted organic compounds and identified with GC-MS. The molecular diagnostic ratios were utilized for the source reconciliation. The aliphatic hydrocarbon and the biomarkers (triterpanes and steranes) distribution show a characteristic of the petrochemical source in the rainwater samples. The PAHs diagnostic ratios [e.g. MP/P, MPI, Fl/ (Fl + Py)] indicated vehicular emissions. The fatty acids ratios (e.g. C(18:1)/C(18:0) and C(18:2)/C(18:0)) reflect the contribution of cooking emissions, while the higher plant waxes play little part. Moreover, the values of MP/P, MPI, BaA/(BaA + CT) and BeP/(BeP + BaP) reflected the origin of the long-distance transportation to some extent. On the whole, for the dry season rainwater, all molecular diagnostic ratios indicated the complexity of the organic composition of the rain, which have the characteristics of both a local emission contribution and a long-distance transportation contribution.

  20. Determination of pesticides and toxic potency of rainwater samples in western Greece.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rouvalis, Angela; Karadima, Constantina; Zioris, Ioannis V; Sakkas, Vasilios A; Albanis, Triantafyllos; Iliopoulou-Georgudaki, Joan

    2009-03-01

    Rainwater samples from four municipalities located in Achaia Prefecture, Greece, were collected from March to September 2006. The toxic potency of pollutants present in 36 rainwater samples was tested using Daphnia pulex. The pesticide determination was conducted with GC-MS. Only phosphamidon was detected, which appeared in 52% and 13% of the rural and urban areas, respectively. The toxicity of rainwater was determined in 52% and 46.7% of the rural and urban area samples, respectively. Chemical analyses showed that in rural areas, the PO(4)(3-) ions had higher concentrations than in urban areas. On the other hand, the SO(4)(2-), NO(-)(3), and NO(-)(2) anions are more highly concentrated in urban areas. Correlation analysis proved that the toxicity of the rainwater samples is moderate, affected by the presence of the insecticide only in the rural areas. The results indicated that toxicity can be directly assessed via bioassays, even when unknown pollutants are present.

  1. High-efficiency integrated piezoelectric energy harvesting systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hande, Abhiman; Shah, Pradeep

    2010-04-01

    This paper describes hierarchically architectured development of an energy harvesting (EH) system that consists of micro and/or macro-scale harvesters matched to multiple components of remote wireless sensor and communication nodes. The micro-scale harvesters consist of thin-film MEMS piezoelectric cantilever arrays and power generation modules in IC-like form to allow efficient EH from vibrations. The design uses new high conversion efficiency thin-film processes combined with novel cantilever structures tuned to multiple resonant frequencies as broadband arrays. The macro-scale harvesters are used to power the collector nodes that have higher power specifications. These bulk harvesters can be integrated with efficient adaptive power management circuits that match transducer impedance and maximize power harvested from multiple scavenging sources with very low intrinsic power consumption. Texas MicroPower, Inc. is developing process based on a composition that has the highest reported energy density as compared to other commercially available bulk PZT-based sensor/actuator ceramic materials and extending it to thin-film materials and miniature conversion transducer structures. The multiform factor harvesters can be deployed for several military and commercial applications such as underground unattended sensors, sensors in oil rigs, structural health monitoring, supply chain management, and battlefield applications such as sensors on soldier apparel, equipment, and wearable electronics.

  2. Perfluorinated compounds in infiltrated river rhine water and infiltrated rainwater in coastal dunes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eschauzier, Christian; Haftka, Joris; Stuyfzand, Pieter J; de Voogt, Pim

    2010-10-01

    Different studies have shown that surface waters contain perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in the low ng/L range. Surface waters are used to produce drinking water and PFCs have been shown to travel through the purification system and form a potential threat to human health. The specific physicochemical properties of PFCs cause them to be persistent and some of them to be bioaccumulative and toxic in the environment. This study investigates the evolvement of PFC concentrations in Rhine water and rainwater during dune water infiltration processes over a transect in the dune area of the western part of The Netherlands. The difference between infiltrated river water and rainwater in terms of PFC composition was investigated. Furthermore, isomer profiles were investigated. The compound perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) was found at the highest concentrations of all PFCs investigated, up to 37 ng/L in infiltrated river water (71 ± 13% of ΣPFCs). This is in contrast with the predominant occurrence of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) reported in literature. The concentrations of PFBS found in infiltrated river Rhine water were significantly higher than those in infiltrated rainwater. For perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) the opposite was found: infiltrated rainwater contained more than infiltrated river water. The concentrations of PFOA, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), PFBS, PFOS, and PFHxS in infiltrated river water showed an increasing trend with decreasing age of the water. The relative contribution of the branched PFOA and PFOS isomers to total concentrations of PFOA and PFOS showed a decreasing trend with decreasing age of the water.

  3. Pemanenan Air Hujan Mengunakan Konsep Zero Runoff System (ZROS dalam Pengelolaan Lahan Pala Berkelanjutan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fachruddin

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available South Aceh district has a very high average monthly rainfall of 281.4 mm/month, so it has a high potential of runoff. The availability of abundant rainfall during the rainy season has not been used optimally in dry season. A part of rainfall would become surface flow so that the plant cannot use it effectively. The impact of high surface flow will cause in loss of soil humus which leads to the decline of soil fertility. Technical design of rainwater harvesting systems which is effective for soil and groundwater conservation and for fulfil water needs from nutmeg crops could be constructed as : rainwater harvesting systems by using rorak equipped with infiltration channels. Rorak layout and channel infiltration should be adjusted to the contour of the land. Rorak dimensions are determined by the discharge of surface flow, which has the maximum depth of 30 cm, width of 40 cm and length of 100 cm. Each rorak is built with infiltration channels on the left and right side with lengt hand depth of 10 cm and width of 20 cm.

  4. Forest harvesting systems friendly to the environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Waesterlund, I [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Garpenberg (Sweden); Hassan, A E [North Carolina State Univ. Col. of Forest Resources, Raleigh, NC (United States)

    1995-09-01

    The trend in forestry practices today in Europe and U.S.A. in general and Scandinavian countries in particular, is towards adapting systems based on landscape planning. Thus common harvesting equipment available on the market will have to be replaced to meet these tough demands. Environmentalists recommend that wood fiber should be harvested either by selection cutting or commercial thinning thus leaving the site undisturbed with no sign of machine traffic. This mandate will preserve ground water quality and assist in soil conservation. However, to meet the pulp and paper as well as saw mill industries demand for wood from this method of cutting (selection or commercial thinning), requires a thorough examination of our harvesting systems and techniques. This paper will discuss present and future machines that are friendly to the environment. Hypothetical designs and improvements of existing machine systems will be addressed and recommendations will be made for future research activities. 75 refs, 8 figs, 1 tab

  5. Forest harvesting systems friendly to the environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waesterlund, I.; Hassan, A.E.

    1995-01-01

    The trend in forestry practices today in Europe and U.S.A. in general and Scandinavian countries in particular, is towards adapting systems based on landscape planning. Thus common harvesting equipment available on the market will have to be replaced to meet these tough demands. Environmentalists recommend that wood fiber should be harvested either by selection cutting or commercial thinning thus leaving the site undisturbed with no sign of machine traffic. This mandate will preserve ground water quality and assist in soil conservation. However, to meet the pulp and paper as well as saw mill industries demand for wood from this method of cutting (selection or commercial thinning), requires a thorough examination of our harvesting systems and techniques. This paper will discuss present and future machines that are friendly to the environment. Hypothetical designs and improvements of existing machine systems will be addressed and recommendations will be made for future research activities. 75 refs, 8 figs, 1 tab

  6. Smart Water Conservation System for Irrigated Landscape

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-01

    controllers, centralized and site-specific sensor inputs, leak detection sensors, and the use of harvested water (i.e., rainwater and air condition water ...include ET functionality with soil moisture sensor, and leak detection via flow meter. ESTCP Final Report Smart Water Conservation System 58... leakage . The minimum static pressure was not achieved because tank water levels were less than 10 feet in the selected low profile tank.) Adjust break

  7. The influence of rainwater composition on the conservation state of cementitious building materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morillas, Héctor, E-mail: hector.morillas@ehu.es [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain); Marcaida, Iker [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain); Maguregui, Maite [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 450, 01080 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country (Spain); Carrero, Jose Antonio; Madariaga, Juan Manuel [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain)

    2016-01-15

    Rainwater is one of the main pollution tracers around the world. There are many reasons that can explain the presence of high concentrations of certain hazardous elements (HEs) in the rainwater (traffic, marine port activities, industry, etc.). In this work, rainwater samples were collected at six different locations in the Metropolitan Bilbao (Basque Country, north of Spain) during November 2014. HE concentrations were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and anions by ion chromatography. The pH and redox potential values on these samples were also assessed. According to the obtained results, different trends along the estuary of Bilbao have been observed. To corroborate some hypothesis, thermodynamic simulations and correlation analyses were also carried out using quantitative data. These trends are closely related to the surrounding pollution and marine influence. Finally, in order to ascertain the influence of the Metropolitan Bilbao rainwater on buildings materials, a recent construction was characterized. Using techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and Raman Spectroscopy, different types of sulfates and nitrates were observed. - Highlights: • Rainwater from six sampling points along Nervion River (Bilbao, Spain) were analyzed. • Ion chromatography, ICP-MS and chemometrics were used for the rainwater analyses. • The interaction between wet depositions and building materials was studied. • Cementitious materials were analyzed using µ-Raman spectroscopy and SEM–EDS.

  8. Energy Harvesting for Aerospace Structural Health Monitoring Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pearson, M R; Eaton, M J; Pullin, R; Featherston, C A; Holford, K M

    2012-01-01

    Recent research into damage detection methodologies, embedded sensors, wireless data transmission and energy harvesting in aerospace environments has meant that autonomous structural health monitoring (SHM) systems are becoming a real possibility. The most promising system would utilise wireless sensor nodes that are able to make decisions on damage and communicate this wirelessly to a central base station. Although such a system shows great potential and both passive and active monitoring techniques exist for detecting damage in structures, powering such wireless sensors nodes poses a problem. Two such energy sources that could be harvested in abundance on an aircraft are vibration and thermal gradients. Piezoelectric transducers mounted to the surface of a structure can be utilised to generate power from a dynamic strain whilst thermoelectric generators (TEG) can be used to generate power from thermal gradients. This paper reports on the viability of these two energy sources for powering a wireless SHM system from vibrations ranging from 20 to 400Hz and thermal gradients up to 50°C. Investigations showed that using a single vibrational energy harvester raw power levels of up to 1mW could be generated. Further numerical modelling demonstrated that by optimising the position and orientation of the vibrational harvester greater levels of power could be achieved. However using commercial TEGs average power levels over a flight period between 5 to 30mW could be generated. Both of these energy harvesting techniques show a great potential in powering current wireless SHM systems where depending on the complexity the power requirements range from 1 to 180mW.

  9. Review of the status of art collection and utilization of rain water in urban and airports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adolfo León Agatón

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Context: Water is currently considered the most critical natural resource on the planet. Numerous worldwide studies have shown that rainwater harvesting systems have been needed to meet different basic needs. One of the most important steps in planning a rainwater harvesting system is to use a method to determine The optimal capacity of collection and storage tanks Method: In this paper we present different concepts of authors of articles at a global level that refer to the use of rainwater, its capture and use avoiding that this resource is wasted and that it reaches the sewers and raking with the garbage found What happens is that they contaminate and cover these teachers causing flooding. Results: Research has shown that rainwater harvesting systems promote water saving in a variety of settings, such as stadiums, universities, schools, airports and residential areas. Conclusions: it is determined that rainwater has not been taken into account as a saving factor, nor the use of this resource with respect to an environmental impact. As for the concept of catchment and use of rainwater, it is taken into account as any kind of technical effort, simple or complex, arising from the initiative of some people to store it and be used later for farmers, toilet flushing, urinals and irrigation of gardens, washing of floors, among other. If you go into a cost benefit study to collect it and take advantage of it to be replaced by drinking water, it would show very good results.

  10. Oxidation of Fe(II) in rainwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willey, J D; Whitehead, R F; Kieber, R J; Hardison, D R

    2005-04-15

    Photochemically produced Fe(II) is oxidized within hours under environmentally realistic conditions in rainwater. The diurnal variation between photochemical production and reoxidation of Fe(II) observed in our laboratory accurately mimics the behavior of ferrous iron observed in field studies where the highest concentrations of dissolved Fe(ll) occur in afternoon rain during the period of maximum sunlight intensity followed by gradually decreasing concentrations eventually returning to early morning pre-light values. The experimental work presented here, along with the results of kinetics studies done by others, suggests thatthe primary process responsible for the decline in photochemically produced Fe(II) concentrations is oxidation by hydrogen peroxide. This reaction is first order with respect to both the concentrations of Fe(II) and H2O2. The second-order rate constant determined for six different authentic rain samples varied over an order of magnitude and was always less than or equal to the rate constant determined for this reaction in simple acidic solutions. Oxidation of photochemically produced ferrous iron by other oxidants including molecular oxygen, ozone, hydroxyl radical, hydroperoxyl/superoxide radical, and hexavalent chromium were found to be insignificant under the conditions present in rainwater. This study shows that Fe(II) occurs as at least two different chemical species in rain; photochemically produced Fe(II) that is oxidized over time periods of hours, and a background Fe(II) that is protected against oxidation, perhaps by organic complexation, and is stable against oxidation for days. Because the rate of oxidation of photochemically produced Fe(II) does not increase with increasing rainwater pH, the speciation of this more labile form of Fe(II) is also not controlled by simple hydrolysis reactions.

  11. Modeling ground-based timber harvesting systems using computer simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jingxin Wang; Chris B. LeDoux

    2001-01-01

    Modeling ground-based timber harvesting systems with an object-oriented methodology was investigated. Object-oriented modeling and design promote a better understanding of requirements, cleaner designs, and better maintainability of the harvesting simulation system. The model developed simulates chainsaw felling, drive-to-tree feller-buncher, swing-to-tree single-grip...

  12. Iron oxides and quality of organic matter in sugarcane harvesting systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diogo Mazza Barbieri

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Improvements in working conditions, sustainable production, and competitiveness have led to substantial changes in sugarcane harvesting systems. Such changes have altered a number of soil properties, including iron oxides and organic matter, as well as some chemical properties, such as the maximum P adsorption capacity of the soil. The aim of this study was to characterize the relationship between iron oxides and the quality of organic matter in sugarcane harvesting systems. For that purpose, two 1 ha plots in mechanically and manually harvested fields were used to obtain soil samples from the 0.00-0.25 m soil layer at 126 different points. The mineralogical, chemical, and physical results were subjected to descriptive statistical analyses, such as the mean comparison test, as well as to multivariate statistical and principal component analyses. Multivariate tests allowed soil properties to be classified in two different groups according to the harvesting method: manual harvest with the burning of residual cane, and mechanical harvest without burning. The mechanical harvesting system was found to enhance pedoenvironmental conditions, leading to changes in the crystallinity of iron oxides, an increase in the humification of organic matter, and a relative decrease in phosphorus adsorption in this area compared to the manual harvesting system.

  13. Rainwater Management Model Development for Agriculture in the Savu Island Semi-Arid Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susilawati C.L.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Savu Island is a semiarid region with few rainfalls. The meager annual rainfall of about 1,000-1,500 mm that lasts for three to five months tends to cause draught. To cope with this situation, the Author tries to develop a rainwater management model located in Daieko village. This model constitutes an infrastructure that consists of check dam series which are constructed by simulating a computerized model of decision supporting system called “Rainwater Management for Agriculture Decision Support System (RMA-DSS model” in the research location of Daieko village. Employing a simulated RMA-DSS model; the locations for check-dam series, and dug-wells can be determined, the size of potential irrigable lands can be determined based on water balance analysis of water samples taken from simulated check dams and inundated lands. Through this model the sufficiency of water supply for agricultural purposes and the land size for cultivation area can be predicted with a high degree of certainty.

  14. Presence of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in rainwater suggests aerial dispersal is possible

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolby, Jonathan E.; Sara D. Ramirez,; Lee Berger,; Griffin, Dale W.; Merlijn Jocque,; Lee F. Skerratt,

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Global spread of the pathogenic amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) may involve dispersal mechanisms not previously explored. Weather systems accompanied by strong wind and rainfall have been known to assist the dispersal of microbes pathogenic to plants and animals, and we considered a similar phenomenon might occur with Bd. We investigated this concept by sampling rainwater from 20 precipitation events for the presence of Bd in Cusuco National Park, Honduras: a site where high Bd prevalence was previously detected in stream-associated amphibians. Quantitative PCR analysis confirmed the presence of Bd in rainwater in one (5 %) of the weather events sampled, although viability cannot be ascertained from molecular presence alone. The source of the Bd and distance that the contaminated rainwater traveled could not be determined; however, this collection site was located approximately 600 m from the nearest observed perennial river by straight-line aerial distance. Although our results suggest atmospheric Bd dispersal is uncommon and unpredictable, even occasional short-distance aerial transport could considerably expand the taxonomic diversity of amphibians vulnerable to exposure and at risk of decline, including terrestrial and arboreal species that are not associated with permanent water bodies.

  15. Systems for harvesting and handling cotton plant residue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coates, W. [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)

    1993-12-31

    In the warmer regions of the United States, cotton plant residue must be buried to prevent it from serving as an overwintering site for insect pests such as the pink bollworm. Most of the field operations used to bury the residue are high energy consumers and tend to degrade soil structure, thereby increasing the potential for erosion. The residue is of little value as a soil amendment and consequently is considered a negative value biomass. A commercial system to harvest cotton plant residue would be of both economic and environmental benefit to cotton producers. Research has been underway at the University of Arizona since the spring of 1991 to develop a commercially viable system for harvesting cotton plant residue. Equipment durability, degree of densification, energy required, cleanliness of the harvested material, and ease of product handling and transport are some of the performance variables which have been measured. Two systems have proven superior. In both, the plants are pulled from the ground using an implement developed specifically for the purpose. In one system, the stalks are baled using a large round baler, while in the other the stalks are chopped with a forage harvester, and then made into packages using a cotton module maker. Field capacities, energy requirements, package density and durability, and ease of handling with commercially available equipment have been measured for both systems. Selection of an optimum system for a specific operation depends upon end use of the product, and upon equipment availability.

  16. [Absorption and fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in rainwater and sources analysis in summer and winter season].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Jian; Jiang, Tao; WeiI, Shi-Qiang; Lu, Song; Yan, Jin-Long; Wang, Qi-Lei; Gao, Jie

    2015-03-01

    This study aimed at evaluating the variability of the optical properties including UV-Vis and fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from rainwater in summer and winter seasons. UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, together with Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model and fire events map, were conducted to characterize DOM and investigate its sources and contributions. The results showed that as compared with aquatic and soil DOM, rainwater DOM showed similar spectral characteristics, suggesting DOM in precipitation was also an important contributor to DOM pool in terrestrial and aquatic systems. The concentrations of DOC in rainwater were 0.88-12.80 mg x L(-1), and the CDOM concentrations were 3.17-21.11 mg x L(-1). Differences of DOM samples between summer and winter were significant (P summer, DOM samples in winter had lower molecular weight and aromaticity, and also lower humification. Input of DOM in winter was predominantly derived from local and short-distance distances, while non-special scattering sources were identified as the main contributors in summer. Although absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy could be used to identify DOM composition and sources, there were obvious differences in spectra and sources analysis between rainwater DOM and the others from other sources. Thus, the classic differentiation method by "allochthonous (terrigenous) and autochthonous (authigenic)" is possibly too simple and arbitrary for characterization of DOM in rainwater.

  17. Study on the Potential Development of Rainwater Utilization in the Hilly City of Southern China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Xiaoran; Liu, Jiahong; Shao, Weiwei; Zhang, Haixing

    2017-12-01

    Aimed at the current flood problems and the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources in the southern cities of China, the comprehensive utilization of Urban Rainwater Resources (URRs) is a significant solution. At present, the research on the comprehensive utilization system of urban rainwater resources in China is still immature, especially the lack of a comprehensive method for the comprehensive utilization of the rainwater and flood resources in the south. Based on the current mode for utilization of URRs at home and abroad, Fenghuang County in Hunan Province was taken as a case of study, which is a typical mountainous city in the southern China. And the potential development of URRs was simulated and evaluated with a comparison of before and after the exploitation and utilization of URRs in this paper. The reduction effect of flood and waterlogging on the ancient city area is analyzed from SWMM. The simulation results show that the potential of exploitation and utilization of URRs in Fenghuang county is remarkable under the mode of exploitation and utilization which is given priority to flood prevention and control, and the annual development potential is 4.865×105 m3. The rainwater utilization measures of flood control effect is obvious with this mode, and the relevant research results can provide theoretical and technical support for enhancing urban water security capability, water conservation capacity, and disaster mitigation of urban flood.

  18. [Capacity of extensive green roof to retain rainwater runoff in hot and humid region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ming Xin; Dai, Se Ping; Zhou, Tian Yang; Ruan, Lin; Zhang, Qiao Song

    2017-02-01

    The water logging has become the environmental problem of major cities with the sharp increase of impermeable urban pavement as the contributing cause. Abroad, the green roof has been widely used as a practical measure to intercept rainwater, yet the capacity of green roof to retain rainwater varies with climate conditions. As the hot and humid climate zone features high temperature, humidity and precipitation, it is meaningful to study the capacity of green roof to retain rainwater under such climatic condition. In this research, 3 plat forms were set up in Guangzhou in rainy and hot summer to test the capability of simple green roof to retain rainwater runoff, and the efficiency of green roof to retain rainwater under local climate conditions was worked out based on the meteorological observation and data measurement during the 13-month test period. The results showed that the simple green roof with a substrate thickness of 30, 50 and 70 mm could retain 27.2%, 30.9% and 32.1% of precipitation and reduce the average peak value by 18.9%, 26.2% and 27.7%, respectively. Given an urban built-up area of 1035.01 km 2 in Guangzhou and a roof area percentage of approximately 37.3% and assuming the green roofs with 30 mm-thick substrate were applied within the area, the light, medium and heavy rain could be delayed at 72.8%, 22.6% and 17.4%, respectively. Accordingly, the rainwater retained could reach up to 14317×10 4 m 3 . It suggested the great potential of the simple green roof in retaining rainwater. The research could serve as reference for the hot and humid climate zone to alleviate water logging and visualize sponge city construction.

  19. Endovascular vein harvest: systemic carbon dioxide absorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maslow, Andrew M; Schwartz, Carl S; Bert, Arthur; Hurlburt, Peter; Gough, Jeffrey; Stearns, Gary; Singh, Arun K

    2006-06-01

    Endovascular vein harvest (EDVH) requires CO(2) insufflation to expand the subcutaneous space, allowing visualization and dissection of the saphenous vein. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent of CO(2) absorption during EDVH. Prospective observational study. Single tertiary care hospital. Sixty patients (30 EDVH and 30 open-vein harvest) undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Hemodynamic, procedural, and laboratory data were collected prior to (baseline), during, and at it the conclusion (final) of vein harvesting. Data were also collected during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Data were compared by using t tests, analysis of variance, and correlation statistics when needed. There were significant increases in arterial CO(2) (PaCO(2), 35%) and decreases in pH (1.35%) during EDVH. These were associated with increases in heart rate, mean blood pressure, and cardiac output. Within the EDVH group, greater elevations (>10 mmHg) in PaCO2 were more likely during difficult harvest procedures, and these patients exhibited greater increase in heart rate. Elevated CO(2) persisted during CPB, requiring higher systemic gas flows and greater use of phenylephrine to maintain desired hemodynamics. EDVH was associated with systemic absorption of CO(2). Greater absorption was more likely in difficult procedures and was associated with greater hemodynamic changes requiring medical therapy.

  20. Physicochemical and bacteriological characteristics of rainwater ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    TSS and TDS were highest in samples collected from Asbestos rooftop, followed by Aluminum rooftop while samples from galvanized Iron had the least irrespective of the rainfall event. Rainwater samples collected at the onset of rain had higher Ca2+ concentration than those collected at the peak of rain for all roof type with ...

  1. Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of mobile harvesting equipment and sediment delivery to streams during forest harvest operations on steep terrain: Experimental design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel Bowker; Jeff Stringer; Chris Barton; Songlin Fei

    2011-01-01

    Sediment mobilized by forest harvest machine traffic contributes substantially to the degradation of headwater stream systems. This study monitored forest harvest machine traffic to analyze how it affects sediment delivery to stream channels. Harvest machines were outfitted with global positioning system (GPS) dataloggers, recording machine movements and working status...

  2. Energy harvesting autonomous sensor systems design, analysis, and practical implementation

    CERN Document Server

    Tan, Yen Kheng

    2013-01-01

    This book is the considered the first to describe sensor-oriented energy harvesting issues. Its content is derived from the author's research on the development of a truly self-autonomous and sustainable energy harvesting wireless sensor network (EH-WSN). This network harvests energy from a variety of ambient energy sources and converts it into electrical energy to power batteries. The book discusses various types of energy harvesting (EH) systems and their respective main components.

  3. Hydropower harvesting from a small scale reciprocating system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malla, Ramesh B.; Shrestha, Binu; Bagtzoglou, Amvrossios; Drasdis, Jonathon [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, 261 Glenbrook Road, Storrs, CT 06269-2037 (United States); Johnson, Paul [eGen LLC, 1084 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340 (United States)

    2011-05-15

    Conventional hydropower systems that can take advantage of low head movement of water require substantial flow rates. However, these systems cannot harvest hydro energy from small sources of water with low head and low discharge, such as streams and creeks. The reciprocating hydropower system discussed in this paper can harvest power from such low flow discharge and low head sources. This paper presents a detailed proof-of-concept study of the hydropower model, including the underlining theoretical principles. Laboratory test results demonstrating the dependence of the lift force in the reciprocating small scale hydropower model as a function of flow velocity, size and rotational speed of the cylinder and comparison of the results with a previous study are also included. Two methods of power harvesting from the output displacement obtained from the hydropower system are discussed. The first employs electromagnetic induction principles and the other is based on a linear inertial generator using a conventional second order spring mass damper system. Finally, results from a finite element analysis of the hydropower system are presented and facilitate future design of the structural aspects of the housing for the reciprocating cylinder. (author)

  4. Improving collected rainwater quality in rural communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrido, S; Aviles, M; Ramirez, A; Gonzalez, A; Montellano, L; Gonzalez, B; de la Paz, J; Ramirez, R M

    2011-01-01

    The country of Mexico is facing serious problems with water quality and supply for human use and consumption in rural communities, mainly due to topographic and isolation. In Mexico the average annual precipitation is 1,500 cubic kilometers of water, if 3% of that amount were used, 13 million Mexicans could be supplied with drinking water that they currently do not have access. Considering the limited infrastructure and management in rural communities, which do not receive services from the centralized systems of large cities, a modified pilot multi-stage filtration (MMSF) system was designed, developed, and evaluated for treating collected rainwater in three rural communities, Ajuchitlan and Villa Nicolas Zapata (Morelos State) and Xacxamayo (Puebla State). The efficiencies obtained in the treatment system were: colour and turbidity >93%. It is worth mentioning that the water obtained for human use and consumption complies with the Mexican Standard NOM-127-SSA1-1994.

  5. Rainwater runoff from building facades : a review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blocken, B.J.E.; Derome, D.; Carmeliet, J.E.

    2013-01-01

    Rainwater runoff from building facades is a complex process governed by a wide range of urban, building, material and meteorological parameters. Given this complexity and the wide range of influencing parameters, it is not surprising that despite research efforts spanning over almost a century,

  6. Rainwater Wildlife Area Habitat Evaluation Procedures Report; A Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Childs, Allen B.

    2004-01-01

    The 8,768 acre Rainwater Wildlife Area was acquired in September 1998 by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) through an agreement with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to partially offset habitat losses associated with construction of the John Day and McNary hydroelectric facilities on the mainstem Columbia River. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) were used to determine the number of habitat units credited to BPA for acquired lands. Upland and riparian forest, upland and riparian shrub, and grassland cover types are evaluated in this study. Targeted wildlife species include downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), black-capped chickadee (Parus atricopillus), blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), great blue heron (Ardea herodias), yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia), mink (Mustela vison), and Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Habitat surveys were conducted in 1998 and 1999 in accordance with published HEP protocols and included 65,300, 594m{sup 2}2 plots, and 112 one-tenth-acre plots. Between 153.3 and 7,187.46 acres were evaluated for each target wildlife mitigation species. Derived habitat suitability indices were multiplied by corresponding cover-type acreages to determine the number of habitat units for each species. The total baseline habitat units credited to BPA for the Rainwater Wildlife Area and its seven target species is 5,185.3 habitat units. Factors limiting habitat suitability are related to the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of past livestock grazing, road construction, and timber harvest which have simplified the structure, composition, and diversity of native plant communities. Alternatives for protecting and improving habitat suitability include exclusion of livestock grazing, road de-commissioning/obliteration, reforestation and thinning, control of competing and unwanted vegetation (including noxious weeds), reestablishing displaced or reduced native

  7. Numerical Modelling of a Piezo Roof Harvesting System: The Right Component Selection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Di Leo Romeo

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The present work focuses on a first study for a piezoelectric harvesting system, finalized to the obtaining of electrical energy from the kinetic energy of rainy precipitation, a renewable energy source not really considered until now. The system, after the realization, can be collocated on the roof of an house, configuring a “Piezo Roof Harvesting System”. After presenting a state of art of the harvesting systems from environmental energy, linked to vibrations, using piezoelectric structures, and of piezoelectric harvesting systems functioning with rain, the authors propose an analysis of the fundamental features of rainy precipitations for the definition of the harvesting system. Then, four key patterns for the realization of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system are discussed and analysed, arriving to the choice of a cantilever beam scheme, in which the piezoelectric material works in 31 mode. An electro-mechanical model for the simulation of performance of the unit for the energetic conversion, composed of three blocks, is proposed. The model is used for a simulation campaign to perform the final choice of the more suitable piezoelectric unit, available on the market, which will be adopted for the realization of the “Piezo Roof Harvesting System”.

  8. Rainwater lens dynamics and mixing between infiltrating rainwater and upward saline groundwater seepage beneath a tile-drained agricultural field

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Louw, de P.G.B.; Eeman, S.; Oude Essink, G.H.P.; Vermue, E.; Post, V.E.A.

    2013-01-01

    Thin rainwater lenses (RW-lenses) near the land surface are often the only source of freshwater in agricultural areas with regionally-extensive brackish to saline groundwater. The seasonal and inter-annual dynamics of these lenses are poorly known. Here this knowledge gap is addressed by

  9. Control of base-excited dynamical systems through piezoelectric energy harvesting absorber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelmoula, H.; Dai, H. L.; Abdelkefi, A.; Wang, L.

    2017-09-01

    The spring-mass absorber usually offers a good control to dynamical systems under direct base excitations for a specific value of the excitation frequency. As the vibrational energy of a primary dynamical system is transferred to the absorber, it gets dissipated. In this study, this energy is no longer dissipated but converted to available electrical power by designing efficient energy harvesters. A novel design of a piezoelectric beam installed inside an elastically-mounted dynamical system undergoing base excitations is considered. A design is carried out in order to determine the properties and dimensions of the energy harvester with the constraint of simultaneously decreasing the oscillating amplitudes of the primary dynamical system and increasing the harvested power of the energy harvesting absorber. An analytical model for the coupled system is constructed using Euler-Lagrange principle and Galerkin discretization. Different strategies for controlling the primary structure displacement and enhancing the harvested power as functions of the electrical load resistance and thickness of the beam substrate are performed. The linear polynomial approximation of the system’s key parameters as a function of the beam’s substrate thickness is first carried out. Then, the gradient method is applied to determine the adequate values of the electrical load resistance and thickness of the substrate under the constraints of minimizing the amplitudes of the primary structure or maximizing the levels of the harvested power. After that, an iterative strategy is considered in order to simultaneously minimize the amplitudes of the primary structure and maximize the levels of the harvested power as functions of the thickness of the substrate and electrical load resistance. In addition to harmonic excitations, the coupled system subjected to a white noise is explored. Through this analysis, the load resistance and thickness of the substrate of the piezoelectric energy harvester

  10. Cooling tower influence on the rainwater pH near a major power plant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ta-Yung Li

    1976-01-01

    The dense network of 12 rainguages, covering an area of 6 km in diameter, was reinstalled near PEPCO's 710 MW Chalk Point power plant in southern Maryland. The rainwater samples were collected from July to December 1974. This second season's collection of rainwater samples were analyzed and results showed a general shifting of pH toward higher values since...

  11. Energy harvesting solar, wind, and ocean energy conversion systems

    CERN Document Server

    Khaligh, Alireza

    2009-01-01

    Also called energy scavenging, energy harvesting captures, stores, and uses ""clean"" energy sources by employing interfaces, storage devices, and other units. Unlike conventional electric power generation systems, renewable energy harvesting does not use fossil fuels and the generation units can be decentralized, thereby significantly reducing transmission and distribution losses. But advanced technical methods must be developed to increase the efficiency of devices in harvesting energy from environmentally friendly, ""green"" resources and converting them into electrical energy.Recognizing t

  12. Chromium speciation in rainwater: temporal variability and atmospheric deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kieber, R.J.; Willey, J.D.; Zvalaren, S.D. [University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

    2002-12-15

    Chromium is released into the atmosphere by a variety of anthropogenic activities which include steel manufacturing, leather tanning, wood presentation and fossil fuel combustion. The concentrations of the various chromium species were determined in 89 rainwater samples collected in Wilmington, NC from October 1, 1999 to December 31, 2001. Volume weighted annual average concentrations of Cr{sub total}, particulate Cr, Cr(III)(aq), and Cr(VI)(aq) were 4.6, 2.2, 0.8 and 1.2 nM, respectively. There was distinct seasonal and diurnal variability in the concentrations of the various chromium species. Chromium emissions to the global atmosphere by both natural and anthropogenic sources are estimated to be 2.2 x 10{sup 9} mol/yr. Using rainwater concentration data along with other published rainwater Cr concentrations and an estimate for total global annual rain, the total global flux of chromium removed from the atmosphere via wet deposition is 2.1 x 10{sup 9} mol/yr. This represents complete removal of Cr and indicates that essentially all chromium released into the global atmosphere is removed via rain. About half this chromium is dissolved with roughly equal concentrations of toxic Cr(VI) and relatively harmless Cr(III) species. 48 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

  13. Strategy for introduction of rainwater management facility considering rainfall event applied on new apartment complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    KIM, H.; Lee, D. K.; Yoo, S.

    2014-12-01

    As regional torrential rains become frequent due to climate change, urban flooding happens very often. That is why it is necessary to prepare for integrated measures against a wide range of rainfall. This study proposes introduction of effective rainwater management facilities to maximize the rainwater runoff reductions and recover natural water circulation for unpredictable extreme rainfall in apartment complex scale. The study site is new apartment complex in Hanam located in east of Seoul, Korea. It has an area of 7.28ha and is analysed using the EPA-SWMM and STORM model. First, it is analyzed that green infrastructure(GI) had efficiency of flood reduction at the various rainfall events and soil characteristics, and then the most effective value of variables are derived. In case of rainfall event, Last 10 years data of 15 minutes were used for analysis. A comparison between A(686mm rainfall during 22days) and B(661mm/4days) knew that soil infiltration of A is 17.08% and B is 5.48% of the rainfall. Reduction of runoff after introduction of the GI of A is 24.76% and B is 6.56%. These results mean that GI is effective to small rainfall intensity, and artificial rainwater retarding reservoir is needed at extreme rainfall. Second, set of target year is conducted for the recovery of hydrological cycle at the predevelopment. And an amount of infiltration, evaporation, surface runoff of the target year and now is analysed on the basis of land coverage, and an arrangement of LID facilities. Third, rainwater management scenarios are established and simulated by the SWMM-LID. Rainwater management facilities include GI(green roof, porous pavement, vegetative swale, ecological pond, and raingarden), and artificial rainwater. Design scenarios are categorized five type: 1)no GI, 2)conventional GI design(current design), 3)intensive GI design, 4)GI design+rainwater retarding reservoir 5)maximized rainwater retarding reservoir. Intensive GI design is to have attribute value to

  14. Study on Drive System of Hybrid Tree Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shen Rong-feng

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Hybrid tree harvester with a 60 kW diesel engine combined with a battery pile could be a “green” forest harvesting and transportation system. With the new design, the diesel engine maintains a constant engine speed, keeping fuel consumption low while charging the batteries that drive the forwarder. As an additional energy saving method, the electric motors work as generators to charge the battery pile when the vehicle moves downhill. The vehicle is equipped with six large wheels providing high clearance over uneven terrain while reducing ground pressure. Each wheel is driven via a hub gear by its own alternating current motor, and each of the three wheel pairs can be steered independently. The combination of the diesel engine and six electric motors provides plenty of power for heavy lifting and pulling. The main component parameters of the drive system are calculated and optimized with a set of dynamics and simulated with AVL Cruise software. The results provide practical insights for the fuel tree harvester and are helpful to reduce the structure and size of the tree harvester. Advantage Environment provides information about existing and future products designed to reduce environmental impacts.

  15. Ergonomic evaluation and comparison of wood harvesting systems in Northwest Russia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerasimov, Yuri; Sokolov, Anton

    2014-03-01

    A comparison of 14 currently applicable wood harvesting systems was assessed with respect to ergonomic point of view. For this purpose, the research method, based on the Hodges-Lehmann rule and the integrated work-severity rate of single machinery, was developed for ergonomic evaluation of cut-to-length, tree-length and full-tree harvesting systems. Altogether, about 130 different parameters of 36 units of equipment that impact on the ergonomics and work conditions were measured and estimated in interviews undertaken directly at forestry harvesting workplaces in 15 logging companies in the Republic of Karelia, Northwest Russia. Then the results were compared to the effective norms, and the degree of compliance with the stipulated values was determined. The estimates obtained for the degree of compliance were combined. This permits a direct comparison of the workload on forestry harvesting workers such as operators, lumberjacks and choker setters. In many respects, the current ergonomic standard is standard, except for the operators of cable skidders, chainsaws and choker settings. Visibility and work postures were considered to be the most critical features influencing the operator's performance. Problems still exist, despite the extensive development of cabs. The best working conditions in terms of harvesting systems were provided by "harvester + forwarder" in cut-to-length harvesting, and "feller-buncher + grapple skidder" in full-tree harvesting. The motor-manual tree-length harvesting performed with cable skidders showed the worst results in terms of ergonomics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  16. Sustainability and profitability in ecological systems with harvesting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaff, S.J.; Protopopescu, V.

    1992-08-01

    A simple model of economic and ecological interplay for a system of two interacting populations grown in a closed environment and harvested periodically for economic purposes was analyzed. The analysis was carried out by exploring the parameter space of the model, defined by a discrete map, a harvesting strategy, and an objective functional. Results showed nonmonotonicities of the outcome and sharp sensitivities that depend on the values of the parameters and that are caused by the discrete nature of the system. This approach may prove useful for solving problems that cannot be solved analytically and for providing some guidance in the management of complex systems

  17. Rainwater Quality Assessment in Uyo Metropolis using Water ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    DR UDOUSORO

    Nigerian Journal of Chemical Research. Vol. 20, 2015 ... metropolis, and pollution index to identify the individual parameter that was of risk. Twenty-two ... rainwater; and to apply PI (pollution ... clean plastic buckets placed on a raised platform ...

  18. The economic benefits of rainwater-runoff reduction by urban green spaces: a case study in Beijing, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Biao; Xie, Gaodi; Zhang, Canqiang; Zhang, Jing

    2012-06-15

    Urbanization involves the replacement of vegetated surfaces with impervious built surfaces, and it often results in an increase in the rate and volume of rainwater surface runoff. Urban green spaces play a positive role in rainwater-runoff reduction. However, few studies have explored the benefits of rainwater-runoff reduction by urban green spaces. Based on inventory data of urban green spaces in Beijing, the paper evaluated the economic benefits of rainwater-runoff reduction by urban green spaces, using the rainwater-runoff-coefficient method as well as the economic valuation methods. The results showed that, 2494 cubic meters of potential runoff was reduced per hectare of green area and a total volume of 154 million cubic meters rainwater was stored in these urban green spaces, which almost corresponds to the annual water needs of the urban ecological landscape in Beijing. The total economic benefit was 1.34 billion RMB in 2009 (RMB: Chinese currency, US$1=RMB6.83), which is equivalent to three-quarters of the maintenance cost of Beijing's green spaces; the value of rainwater-runoff reduction was 21.77 thousand RMB per hectare. In addition, the benefits in different districts and counties were ranked in the same order as urban green areas, and the average benefits per hectare of green space showed different trends, which may be related to the impervious surface index in different regions. This research will contribute to an understanding of the role that Beijing's green spaces play in rainwater regulation and in the creation and scientific management of urban green spaces. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Energy harvesting concepts for small electric unmanned systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qidwai, Muhammad A.; Thomas, James P.; Kellogg, James C.; Baucom, Jared N.

    2004-07-01

    In this study, we identify and survey energy harvesting technologies for small electrically powered unmanned systems designed for long-term (>1 day) time-on-station missions. An environmental energy harvesting scheme will provide long-term, energy additions to the on-board energy source. We have identified four technologies that cover a broad array of available energy sources: solar, kinetic (wind) flow, autophagous structure-power (both combustible and metal air-battery systems) and electromagnetic (EM) energy scavenging. We present existing conceptual designs, critical system components, performance, constraints and state-of-readiness for each technology. We have concluded that the solar and autophagous technologies are relatively matured for small-scale applications and are capable of moderate power output levels (>1 W). We have identified key components and possible multifunctionalities in each technology. The kinetic flow and EM energy scavenging technologies will require more in-depth study before they can be considered for implementation. We have also realized that all of the harvesting systems require design and integration of various electrical, mechanical and chemical components, which will require modeling and optimization using hybrid mechatronics-circuit simulation tools. This study provides a starting point for detailed investigation into the proposed technologies for unmanned system applications under current development.

  20. Energy Harvesting in Heterogeneous Networks with Hybrid Powered Communication Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Alsharoa, Ahmad; Celik, Abdulkadir; Kamal, Ahmed E.

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate an energy efficient and energy harvesting (EH) system model in heterogeneous networks (HetNets) where all base stations (BSS) are equipped to harvest energy from renewable energy sources. We consider a hybrid power

  1. System-Level Coupled Modeling of Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting Systems by Joint Finite Element and Circuit Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Congcong Cheng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A practical piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting (PVEH system is usually composed of two coupled parts: a harvesting structure and an interface circuit. Thus, it is much necessary to build system-level coupled models for analyzing PVEH systems, so that the whole PVEH system can be optimized to obtain a high overall efficiency. In this paper, two classes of coupled models are proposed by joint finite element and circuit analysis. The first one is to integrate the equivalent circuit model of the harvesting structure with the interface circuit and the second one is to integrate the equivalent electrical impedance of the interface circuit into the finite element model of the harvesting structure. Then equivalent circuit model parameters of the harvesting structure are estimated by finite element analysis and the equivalent electrical impedance of the interface circuit is derived by circuit analysis. In the end, simulations are done to validate and compare the proposed two classes of system-level coupled models. The results demonstrate that harvested powers from the two classes of coupled models approximate to theoretic values. Thus, the proposed coupled models can be used for system-level optimizations in engineering applications.

  2. Analyses of electromagnetic and piezoelectric systems for efficient vibration energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadas, Z.; Smilek, J.; Rubes, O.

    2017-05-01

    The paper deals with analyses and evaluation of vibration energy harvesting systems which are based on electromagnetic and piezoelectric physical principles off electro-mechanical conversion. Energy harvesting systems are associated with wireless sensors and a monitoring of engineering objects. The most of engineering objects operate with unwanted mechanical vibrations. However, vibrations could provide an ambient source of energy which is converted into useful electricity. The use of electromagnetic and piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters is analyzed in this paper. Thee evaluated output power is used for a choice of the efficient system with respect to the character of vibrations and thee required power output.

  3. Rainwater chemistry at the summit and southern flank of the Itatiaia massif, Southeastern Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mello, William Z. de; Almeida, Marcelo D. de

    2004-01-01

    Wet deposition and related rainwater chemistry were studied at the Itatiaia massif, on which is settled the Itatiaia National Park (INP). Samples were simultaneously collected on a weekly basis over 12 months, using automated wet and dry samplers, at the INP-Headquarters (INP-Hq; altitude=820 m) and the Itatiaia Plateau (It-Pt; altitude=2460 m). Conductivity, pH, Na + , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , NH 4 + , Cl - , NO 3 - and SO 4 2- were determined in 36 rainwater samples. Volume-weighted mean (VWM) pH was lower at the INP-Hq (4.9) than at the It-Pt (5.3). Very strong correlation between Cl - and Na + was found for the INP-Hq (r=0.99). At the Itatiaia massif, SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , and NH 4 + comprised together about 60% of the total inorganic ions and appear to exert the major control on rainwater pH. - Rainwater chemistry at the Itatiaia massif in SE Brazil is strongly dominated by S and N inorganic species, and influenced by human activities

  4. OPERATIONALANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL CUT-TO-LENGTH FOREST HARVESTING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilton Cesar Fiedler

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to conduct an operational analysis of forest harvesting activities in a mechanized of the system cut to length in eucalypt plantations in south of Bahia, to determine the distribution of operation times, productivity, operational efficiency and mechanical availability of two models of harvester and two models of forwarder, evaluating these machines in three modules harvesting methodology through time and motion studies. Auxiliary activities corresponded to the lowest percentages within the operating times (mean 1.9% to 1.8% for harvester and forwarder, already operating activities were those that had the highest percentages. The first shift was presented the worst results of operations for the harvester (average 66.3% and the third shift for the forwarder (55.5%. For the harvester module 1 showed the best result of productive times (average 70.36%. In relation to the forwarder, this same module showed the worst results with unproductive times (average of 22.17%. The availability and mechanical parameters were superior productivity for the forwarder (mean 82.31% and 51.33 m3/h, respectively, as indicators of degree of utilization and operational efficiency were higher in harvester (average 85.01% and 66.41%, respectively. Thus, for the forwarder, the parameters mechanical availability and productivity were higher, while for the harvester, they were the indicators of degree of utilization and operational efficiency

  5. Comparison of tritium concentrations in rainwater, simulated infiltrating water, and groundwater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishii, Yoshiyuki; Saito, Masaaki; Imaizumi, Hiroshi; Kato, Norio; Kitaoka, Koichi

    2014-01-01

    The tritium concentration in initial groundwater(i.e., freshly infiltrating rainwater) is necessary for groundwater dating. We collected simulated infiltrating water as the initial groundwater and examined its characteristics for tritium concentration. First, in Tokyo, the tritium concentration of simulated infiltrating water was compared with that of rainwater, atmospheric moisture, groundwater, spring water, and sap water. While rainwater, atmospheric moisture, and simulated infiltrating water remarkably changed month-to-month or with every rainfall event, groundwater and spring water were nearly constant throughout the year. Second, we collected the simulated infiltrating water monthly at four sampling sites widely dispersed across Japan(i.e., Sapporo, Niigata, Tokyo, and Matsuyama) from 2004 to 2010. Sapporo and Niigata showed high tritium concentrations as compared with the relatively low concentrations in Tokyo and Matsuyama. These results indicate that we can obtain annual maximum and minimum concentrations at each site, and that we can estimate the tritium concentration in initial groundwater at each site by using a mixing model composed of these maximum and minimum concentrations. (author)

  6. variability of rainwater quality due to roof characteristics

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    water. Although, some people typically consume collected rainwater without any type of ... variability of rain water quality due to roof characteristics was investigated using ... coverage of potable water, water supply still lags ... in getting projects executed; lack of adequate ... deterioration and its effects on health are scarce.

  7. Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) Report : Rainwater Wildlife Area, 1998-2001 Technical Report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Childs, Allen

    2004-01-01

    The 8,768 acre Rainwater Wildlife Area was acquired in September 1998 by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) through an agreement with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to partially offset habitat losses associated with construction of the John Day and McNary hydroelectric facilities on the mainstem Columbia River. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) were used to determine the number of habitat units credited to BPA for acquired lands. Upland and riparian forest, upland and riparian shrub, and grassland rover types are evaluated in this study. Targeted wildlife species include downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), black-capped chickadee (Parus atricopillus), blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), great blue heron (Ardea herodias), yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia), mink (Mustela vison), and Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglects). Habitat surveys were conducted in 1998 and 1999 in accordance with published HEP protocols and included 65,300, 594m{sup 2} plots, and 112 one-tenth-acre plots. Between 153.3 and 7,187.46 acres were evaluated for each target wildlife mitigation species. Derived habitat suitability indices were multiplied by corresponding cover-type acreages to determine the number of habitat units for each species. The total baseline habitat units credited to BPA for the Rainwater Wildlife Area and its seven target species is 5,185.3 habitat units. Factors limiting habitat suitability are related to the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of past livestock grazing, road construction, and timber harvest which have simplified the structure, composition, and diversity of native plant communities. Alternatives for protecting and improving habitat suitability include exclusion of livestock grazing, road de-commissioning/obliteration, reforestation and thinning, control of competing and unwanted vegetation (including noxious weeds), reestablishing displaced or reduced native

  8. Study and interpretation of chemical composition of rainwater in selected urban and rural locations in India using multivariate analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Bidisha; Gupta, Abhik

    2018-04-01

    Rainwater is an important untapped resource for all water managers and can be collected and used personally for all uses and simultaneously diverted to ground for recharge of depleting aquifers. Rain water is the most purest form of water until it is contaminated by the atmospheric pollution. Evaluation of rainwater quality analysis is also essential for non-potable applications and to match quality to specific uses. Rainwater quality analysis is, therefore, carried out to understand the problems of rainwater contamination with various pollutants. Rainwater samples were collected from the pre-monsoon season of March 2010 to post-monsoon of October 2013, from seven sampling sites namely Irongmara, Badarpur, Bongaigaon, Dolaigaon, BGR Township, Kolkata and Kharagpur, which characterised typical suburban, urban and industrialised locations respectively. A total of 943 samples were collected during this period from the sampling sites, taking utmost care in sampling and storage were analysed for heavy metals determination. Results for pH, EC, Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, Cr and Co were reported in this study. The samples were collected using PVC bottles. The highest concentration of elements was observed at the beginning of the rainfall season when large amounts of dust accumulated in the atmosphere scavenged by rain. The values of pH in rainwater samples were relatively within the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for drinking water. Multivariate statistical analysis especially varimax rotation was applied to bring to focus the hidden yet important variables which influence the rainwater quality. It is also observed that rainwater contamination may not be restricted to industrial areas alone but vehicular emission may also contribute significantly in certain areas.

  9. Measurement of radioactive fallout in rainwater and air at remote areas (1995-96)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    U Wai Zin Oo; Daw War War Myo Aung; U Khin Maung Latt; U Maung Maung Tin

    2001-01-01

    Radioactive fallout in rainwater and air collected from Yangon Division (Ahlone, Yangon), Pago Division (Pago and Thanut Pin), Mandalay Division (Pyinoolwin, Mandalay and Meikhtilar), Mon State (Mawlamyine, Kyaikame, Beelin, Taungzun, Kyaikhto, Kinpunsakan and Thayetkone village), and Shan State (Larsoh) were measured by using low level Beta Counting System. It was found that the radioactivities were less than the maximum permissible level recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Production. (author)

  10. Harvest: A Scalable, Customizable Discovery and Access System

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Bowman, C. M; Danzig, Peter B; Hardy, Darren R; Manber, Udi; Schwartz, Michael F

    1994-01-01

    .... In this paper we introduce Harvest, a system that provides a set of customizable tools for gathering information from diverse repositories, building topic-specific content indexes, flexibly searching...

  11. Average rainwater pH, concepts of atmospheric acidity, and buffering in open systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liljestrand, H.M.

    1985-01-01

    The system of water equilibrated with a constant partial pressure of CO/sub 2/, as a reference point for pH acidity-alkalinity relationships, has nonvolatile acidity and alkalinity components as conservative quantities, but not (H/sup +/). Simple algorithms are presented for the determination of the average pH for combinations of samples both above and below pH 5.6. Averaging the nonconservative quantity (H/sup +/) yields erroneously low mean pH values. To extend the open CO/sub 2/ system to include other volatile atmospheric acids and bases distributed among the gas, liquid and particulate matter phases, a theoretical framework for atmospheric acidity is presented. Within certain oxidation-reduction limitations, the total atmospheric acidity (but not free acidity) is a conservative quantity. The concept of atmospheric acidity is applied to air-water systems approximating aerosols, fogwater, cloudwater and rainwater. The buffer intensity in hydrometers is described as a function of net strong acidity, partial pressures of acid and base gases and the water to air ratio. For high liquid to air volume ratios, the equilibrium partial pressures of trace acid and base gases are set by the pH or net acidity controlled by the nonvolatile acid and base concentrations. For low water to air volume ratios as well as stationary state systems such as precipitation scavenging with continuous emissions, the partial pressures of trace gases (NH/sub 3/, HCl, NHO/sub 3/, SO/sub 2/, and CH/sub 3/COOH) appear to be of greater or equal importance as carbonate species as buffers in the aqueous phase.

  12. Average rainwater pH, concepts of atmospheric acidity, and buffering in open systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liljestrand, Howard M.

    The system of water equilibrated with a constant partial pressure of CO 2, as a reference point for pH acidity-alkalinity relationships, has nonvolatile acidity and alkalinity components as conservative quantities, but not [H +]. Simple algorithms are presented for the determination of the average pH for combinations of samples both above and below pH 5.6. Averaging the nonconservative quantity [H +] yields erroneously low mean pH values. To extend the open CO 2 system to include other volatile atmospheric acids and bases distributed among the gas, liquid and particulate matter phases, a theoretical framework for atmospheric acidity is presented. Within certain oxidation-reduction limitations, the total atmospheric acidity (but not free acidity) is a conservative quantity. The concept of atmospheric acidity is applied to air-water systems approximating aerosols, fogwater, cloudwater and rainwater. The buffer intensity in hydrometeors is described as a function of net strong acidity, partial pressures of acid and base gases and the water to air ratio. For high liquid to air volume ratios, the equilibrium partial pressures of trace acid and base gases are set by the pH or net acidity controlled by the nonvolatile acid and base concentrations. For low water to air volume ratios as well as stationary state systems such as precipitation scavenging with continuous emissions, the partial pressures of trace gases (NH 3, HCl, HNO 3, SO 2 and CH 3COOH) appear to be of greater or equal importance as carbonate species as buffers in the aqueous phase.

  13. Techno-economic analysis of a wind-solar hybrid renewable energy system with rainwater collection feature for urban high-rise application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chong, W.T.; Naghavi, M.S.; Poh, S.C.; Mahlia, T.M.I.; Pan, K.C.

    2011-01-01

    harvesting technologies. → The system overcomes the inferior aspect on the low wind speed by introducing the power-augmentation-guide-vane (PAGV). → The PAGV is used to guide and create venturi effect to increase the wind speed before the wind-stream enters wind turbine. → This design can be blended into the building architecture without negative visual impact, and is safer for populated area. → The PAGV improves the wind turbine's starting behavior and prolongs its operating hour, thus reduces the payback period. -- Abstract: The technical and economic feasibility study of an innovative wind-solar hybrid renewable energy generation system with rainwater collection feature for electrical energy generation is presented in this paper. The power generated would supply part of the energy requirements of the high-rise building where the system is installed. The system integrates and optimizes several green technologies; including urban wind turbine, solar cell module and rain water collector. The design was conceptualized based on the experiences acquired during the development and testing of a suitable wind turbine for Malaysian applications. It is compact and can be built on top of high-rise buildings in order to provide on-site renewable power to the building. It overcomes the inferior aspect on the low wind speed by channeling and increasing the speed of the high altitude free-stream wind through the power-augmentation-guide-vane (PAGV) before it enters the wind turbine at the center portion. The shape or appearance of the PAGV that surrounds the wind turbine can be blended into the building architecture without negative visual impact (becomes part of the building). The design improves the starting behavior of wind turbines. It is also safer to people around and reduces noise pollution. The techno-economic analysis is carried out by applying the life cycle cost (LCC) method. The LCC method takes into consideration the complete range of costs and makes cash flows time

  14. Estrogenic and esterase-inhibiting potency in rainwater in relation to pesticide concentrations, sampling season and location

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamers, T.; Brink, P.J. van den; Mos, L.; Linden, S.C. van der; Legler, J.; Koeman, J.H.; Murk, A.J

    2003-05-01

    Estrogenic potency of rainwater correlated well with organochlorine concentrations, but could not be attributed to specific pesticides. - In a year-round monitoring program (1998), pesticide composition and toxic potency of the mix of pollutants present in rainwater were measured. The goal of the study was to relate atmospheric deposition of toxic potency and pesticide composition to each other and to sampling period and local agricultural activity. Rainwater was collected in 26 consecutive periods of 14 days in a background location (BACK) and in two locations representative for different agricultural practices, i.e. intensive greenhouse horticulture (HORT) and flower bulb culture (BULB). Samples were chemically analyzed for carbamate (CARB), organophosphate (OP) and organochlorine (OC) pesticides and metabolites. Esterase inhibiting potency of rainwater extracts was measured in a specially developed bio-assay with honeybee esterases and was expressed as an equivalent concentration of the model inhibitor dichlorvos. Estrogenic potency of the extracts was measured in the ER-CALUX reporter gene assay and was expressed as an equivalent concentration of estradiol. Multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) techniques proved to be valuable tools to analyze the numerous pesticide concentrations in relation to toxic potency, sampling location, and sampling season. Pesticide composition in rainwater depended much more on sampling season than on sampling location, but differences between SPRING and SUMMER were mainly attributed to local differences in agricultural practice. On average, the esterase inhibiting potency exceeded the maximum permissible concentration set for dichlorvos in The Netherlands, and was significantly higher in HORT than in BACK and BULB. Esterase inhibition correlated significantly with OP and CARB concentrations, as expected given the working mechanism of these insecticides. The estrogenic potency incidentally exceeded NOEC levels reported for

  15. Estrogenic and esterase-inhibiting potency in rainwater in relation to pesticide concentrations, sampling season and location

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamers, T.; Brink, P.J. van den; Mos, L.; Linden, S.C. van der; Legler, J.; Koeman, J.H.; Murk, A.J.

    2003-01-01

    Estrogenic potency of rainwater correlated well with organochlorine concentrations, but could not be attributed to specific pesticides. - In a year-round monitoring program (1998), pesticide composition and toxic potency of the mix of pollutants present in rainwater were measured. The goal of the study was to relate atmospheric deposition of toxic potency and pesticide composition to each other and to sampling period and local agricultural activity. Rainwater was collected in 26 consecutive periods of 14 days in a background location (BACK) and in two locations representative for different agricultural practices, i.e. intensive greenhouse horticulture (HORT) and flower bulb culture (BULB). Samples were chemically analyzed for carbamate (CARB), organophosphate (OP) and organochlorine (OC) pesticides and metabolites. Esterase inhibiting potency of rainwater extracts was measured in a specially developed bio-assay with honeybee esterases and was expressed as an equivalent concentration of the model inhibitor dichlorvos. Estrogenic potency of the extracts was measured in the ER-CALUX reporter gene assay and was expressed as an equivalent concentration of estradiol. Multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) techniques proved to be valuable tools to analyze the numerous pesticide concentrations in relation to toxic potency, sampling location, and sampling season. Pesticide composition in rainwater depended much more on sampling season than on sampling location, but differences between SPRING and SUMMER were mainly attributed to local differences in agricultural practice. On average, the esterase inhibiting potency exceeded the maximum permissible concentration set for dichlorvos in The Netherlands, and was significantly higher in HORT than in BACK and BULB. Esterase inhibition correlated significantly with OP and CARB concentrations, as expected given the working mechanism of these insecticides. The estrogenic potency incidentally exceeded NOEC levels reported for

  16. Toward a semi-mechanical harvesting platform system for harvesting blueberries with fresh-market quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Major concerns related to harvesting blueberries for fresh market with over-the-row (OTR) harvesters are that the quality of the fruit harvested with OTR machines is generally low and ground loss is excessive. Machine-harvested blueberries have more internal bruise and usually soften rapidly in col...

  17. An Investigation of Potable Water Supply Problems in Akinima ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The major sources of drinking water are harvested rainwater, water from boreholes, and rivers. These sources are indentified to have varied problems of contamination and pollution, which range from high levels of chemical and microbiological contamination of harvested rainwater and rivers respectively, to saline intrusion ...

  18. Mathematical modeling of rainwater runoff over catchment surface ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The subject of an article is the mathematical modeling of the rainwater runoff along the surface catchment taking account the transport of pollution which permeates into the water flow from a porous media of soil at the certain areas of this surface. The developed mathematical model consists of two types of equations: the ...

  19. Harvesting vibrational energy due to intermodal systems via nano coated piezo electric devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    Vibrational energy resulting from intermodal transport systems can be recovered through the use of energy harvesting system consisting of PZT piezo electric material as the primary energy harvesting component. The ability of traditional PZT piezo ele...

  20. WASH (Water and Sanitation for Health) Rainwater Information Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, D.

    1986-01-01

    Describes project funded by U.S. Agency for International Development to provide short-term technical assistance (general, technology transfer, institutional development and training, information support) to rural and urban fringe water supply and sanitation projects. Initial steps, special collection, and future components of rainwater network…

  1. Shallow rainwater lenses in deltaic areas with saline seepage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Louw, de P.G.B.; Eeman, S.; Siemon, B.; `Voortman, B.R.; Gunnink, J.; Baaren, E.S.; Oude Essink, G.H.P.

    2011-01-01

    In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and

  2. Shallow rainwater lenses in deltaic areas with saline seepage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Louw, Perry G.B.; Eeman, Sara; Siemon, Bernhard; Voortman, Bernard R.; Gunnink, Jan; Van Baaren, Esther S.; Oude Essink, Gualbert

    2011-01-01

    In deltaic areas with saline seepage, fresh water availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence

  3. Leachability of metals from gold tailings by rainwater: an ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Mine leachates from gold tailings impoundments usually contain elevated concentrations of metals and sulphates that impact negatively on water quality. This study was aimed at assessing the leachability of such metals from tailings by rainwater. Oxidised and unoxidised tailings were leached experimentally and through ...

  4. PS2013 Satellite Workshop on Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Niederman, Robert A. [Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (United States); Blankenship, Robert E. [Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States); Frank, Harry A. [Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (United States)

    2015-02-07

    These funds were used for partial support of the PS2013 Satellite Workshop on Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Systems, that was held on 8-11 August, 2013, at Washington University, St. Louis, MO. This conference, held in conjunction with the 16th International Congress on Photosynthesis/St. Louis, continued a long tradition of light-harvesting satellite conferences that have been held prior to the previous six international photosynthesis congresses. In this Workshop, the basis was explored for the current interest in replacing fossil fuels with energy sources derived form direct solar radiation, coupled with light-driven electron transport in natural photosynthetic systems and how they offer a valuable blueprint for conversion of sunlight to useful energy forms. This was accomplished through sessions on the initial light-harvesting events in the biological conversion of solar energy to chemically stored energy forms, and how these natural photosynthetic processes serve as a guide to the development of robust bio-hybrid and artificial systems for solar energy conversion into both electricity or chemical fuels. Organized similar to a Gordon Research Conference, a lively, informal and collegial setting was established, highlighting the exchange of exciting new data and unpublished results from ongoing studies. A significant amount of time was set aside for open discussion and interactive poster sessions, with a special session devoted to oral presentations by talented students and postdoctoral fellows judged to have the best posters. This area of research has seen exceptionally rapid progress in recent years, with the availability of a number of antenna protein structures at atomic resolution, elucidation of the molecular surface architecture of native photosynthetic membranes by atomic force microscopy and the maturing of ultrafast spectroscopic and molecular biological techniques for the investigation and manipulation of photosynthetic systems. The conferees

  5. A High-Efficiency Wind Energy Harvester for Autonomous Embedded Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunelli, Davide

    2016-03-04

    Energy harvesting is currently a hot research topic, mainly as a consequence of the increasing attractiveness of computing and sensing solutions based on small, low-power distributed embedded systems. Harvesting may enable systems to operate in a deploy-and-forget mode, particularly when power grid is absent and the use of rechargeable batteries is unattractive due to their limited lifetime and maintenance requirements. This paper focuses on wind flow as an energy source feasible to meet the energy needs of a small autonomous embedded system. In particular the contribution is on the electrical converter and system integration. We characterize the micro-wind turbine, we define a detailed model of its behaviour, and then we focused on a highly efficient circuit to convert wind energy into electrical energy. The optimized design features an overall volume smaller than 64 cm³. The core of the harvester is a high efficiency buck-boost converter which performs an optimal power point tracking. Experimental results show that the wind generator boosts efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions.

  6. A High-Efficiency Wind Energy Harvester for Autonomous Embedded Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunelli, Davide

    2016-01-01

    Energy harvesting is currently a hot research topic, mainly as a consequence of the increasing attractiveness of computing and sensing solutions based on small, low-power distributed embedded systems. Harvesting may enable systems to operate in a deploy-and-forget mode, particularly when power grid is absent and the use of rechargeable batteries is unattractive due to their limited lifetime and maintenance requirements. This paper focuses on wind flow as an energy source feasible to meet the energy needs of a small autonomous embedded system. In particular the contribution is on the electrical converter and system integration. We characterize the micro-wind turbine, we define a detailed model of its behaviour, and then we focused on a highly efficient circuit to convert wind energy into electrical energy. The optimized design features an overall volume smaller than 64 cm3. The core of the harvester is a high efficiency buck-boost converter which performs an optimal power point tracking. Experimental results show that the wind generator boosts efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions. PMID:26959018

  7. A High-Efficiency Wind Energy Harvester for Autonomous Embedded Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Davide Brunelli

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Energy harvesting is currently a hot research topic, mainly as a consequence of the increasing attractiveness of computing and sensing solutions based on small, low-power distributed embedded systems. Harvesting may enable systems to operate in a deploy-and-forget mode, particularly when power grid is absent and the use of rechargeable batteries is unattractive due to their limited lifetime and maintenance requirements. This paper focuses on wind flow as an energy source feasible to meet the energy needs of a small autonomous embedded system. In particular the contribution is on the electrical converter and system integration. We characterize the micro-wind turbine, we define a detailed model of its behaviour, and then we focused on a highly efficient circuit to convert wind energy into electrical energy. The optimized design features an overall volume smaller than 64 cm3. The core of the harvester is a high efficiency buck-boost converter which performs an optimal power point tracking. Experimental results show that the wind generator boosts efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions.

  8. Experimental tests on a new harvesting system for Burley tobacco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvatore Faugno

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The globalization of the tobacco production has led to a drop in competitiveness of the Italian tobacco on the world market. Burley is the main variety of tobacco cropped in Campania region of Southern Italy. Its leaves have to be sewn, in the curing phase. Aim of this work is to show the results of the implementation of a new harvest machine prototype. Basically, the machine used for Bright tobacco, totally mechanical harvested, which doesn’t need to be sewn because it requires an indirect-fire treatment into the curing furnaces. The machine was modified in order to mechanize harvesting of Burley tobacco, and tested on four cultivars of Burley tobacco under three different planting layouts. The Burley tobacco leaves can be harvested mechanically by pulling individual leaves off the stalk; leaves are then sorted and tied in bundles prior to sewing. A mechanical burley tobacco harvesting system was evaluated. This machine consists in realizing a leaves orientation system based on the different weight between the leaf blade and the stalk enhanced by an air flow. The measurements taken were harvest timing, work capacity, and quality standards of the work carried out. The results, in terms of user time, range from 6.67 h/ha to 7.80 h/ha while in terms of operational efficiency are between 88% and 89%. The average user capacity recorded for the four cultivars is equal to 0.14 ha/h, a value far from the one recorded for the same harvesting machine used for Bright tobacco (0.25 ha/h. The harvest timing capacity, range from 0.51 t/h to 0.99 t/h. The work productivity goes from 0.17 t to 0.33 t per hour of human unit respectively. The average number of detached leaves, depending on the cultivar, has been between 523 and 744. Concerning the leaf orientation, a general percentage of 73% was achieved.

  9. Design optimization of harvester head and actuation system of forest harvester

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Torben Ole; Hansen, Michael R.; Mouritsen, Ole Ø.

    2005-01-01

    This paper is on the analysis and subsequent efficiency optimization of a forrest harvester. As basis for the optimization the existing machine has undergone substantial experimental testing with a view to determine the loading that the harvester head is subjected to and also the corresponding...

  10. Bundling harvester; Nippukorjausharvesteri

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koponen, K [Eko-Log Oy, Kuopio (Finland)

    1997-12-31

    The staring point of the project was to design and construct, by taking the silvicultural point of view into account, a harvesting and processing system especially for energy-wood, containing manually driven bundling harvester, automatizing of the harvester, and automatized loading. The equipment forms an ideal method for entrepreneur`s-line harvesting. The target is to apply the system also for owner`s-line harvesting. The profitability of the system promotes the utilization of the system in both cases. The objectives of the project were: to construct a test equipment and prototypes for all the project stages, to carry out terrain and strain tests in order to examine the usability and durability, as well as the capacity of the machine, to test the applicability of the Eko-Log system in simultaneous harvesting of energy and pulp woods, and to start the marketing and manufacturing of the products. The basic problems of the construction of the bundling harvester have been solved using terrain-tests. The prototype machine has been shown to be operable. Loading of the bundles to form sufficiently economically transportable loads has been studied, and simultaneously, the branch-biomass has been tried to be utilized without loosing the profitability of transportation. The results have been promising, and will promote the profitable utilization of wood-energy

  11. Bundling harvester; Nippukorjausharvesteri

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koponen, K. [Eko-Log Oy, Kuopio (Finland)

    1996-12-31

    The staring point of the project was to design and construct, by taking the silvicultural point of view into account, a harvesting and processing system especially for energy-wood, containing manually driven bundling harvester, automatizing of the harvester, and automatized loading. The equipment forms an ideal method for entrepreneur`s-line harvesting. The target is to apply the system also for owner`s-line harvesting. The profitability of the system promotes the utilization of the system in both cases. The objectives of the project were: to construct a test equipment and prototypes for all the project stages, to carry out terrain and strain tests in order to examine the usability and durability, as well as the capacity of the machine, to test the applicability of the Eko-Log system in simultaneous harvesting of energy and pulp woods, and to start the marketing and manufacturing of the products. The basic problems of the construction of the bundling harvester have been solved using terrain-tests. The prototype machine has been shown to be operable. Loading of the bundles to form sufficiently economically transportable loads has been studied, and simultaneously, the branch-biomass has been tried to be utilized without loosing the profitability of transportation. The results have been promising, and will promote the profitable utilization of wood-energy

  12. Greenhouse cooling using a rainwater basin under the greenhouse

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Campen, J.B.

    2006-01-01

    The objective of the study was to determine the technical and economical aspects of additional applications for a rainwater basin installed under a greenhouse. The installation for cooling the greenhouse can be placed under the greenhouse. Part of the installation consists of a short-term heat store

  13. Organic acids in cloud water and rainwater at a mountain site in acid rain areas of South China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiao; Wang, Yan; Li, Haiyan; Yang, Xueqiao; Sun, Lei; Wang, Xinfeng; Wang, Tao; Wang, Wenxing

    2016-05-01

    To investigate the chemical characteristics of organic acids and to identify their source, cloud water and rainwater samples were collected at Mount Lu, a mountain site located in the acid rain-affected area of south China, from August to September of 2011 and March to May of 2012. The volume-weighted mean (VWM) concentration of organic acids in cloud water was 38.42 μeq/L, ranging from 7.45 to 111.46 μeq/L, contributing to 2.50 % of acidity. In rainwater samples, organic acid concentrations varied from 12.39 to 68.97 μeq/L (VWM of 33.39 μeq/L). Organic acids contributed significant acidity to rainwater, with a value of 17.66 %. Formic acid, acetic acid, and oxalic acid were the most common organic acids in both cloud water and rainwater. Organic acids had an obviously higher concentration in summer than in spring in cloud water, whereas there was much less discrimination in rainwater between the two seasons. The contribution of organic acids to acidity was lower during summer than during spring in both cloud water (2.20 % in summer vs 2.83 % in spring) and rainwater (12.24 % in summer vs 19.89 % in spring). The formic-to-acetic acid ratio (F/A) showed that organic acids were dominated by primary emissions in 71.31 % of the cloud water samples and whole rainwater samples. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis determined four factors as the sources of organic acids in cloud water, including biogenic emissions (61.8 %), anthropogenic emissions (15.28 %), marine emissions (15.07 %) and soil emissions (7.85 %). The findings from this study imply an indispensable role of organic acids in wet deposition, but organic acids may have a limited capacity to increase ecological risks in local environments.

  14. Rainwater propagation through snowpack during rain-on-snow sprinkling experiments under different snow conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Juras

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The mechanisms of rainwater propagation and runoff generation during rain-on-snow (ROS events are still insufficiently known. Understanding storage and transport of liquid water in natural snowpacks is crucial, especially for forecasting of natural hazards such as floods and wet snow avalanches. In this study, propagation of rainwater through snow was investigated by sprinkling experiments with deuterium-enriched water and applying an alternative hydrograph separation technique on samples collected from the snowpack runoff. This allowed us to quantify the contribution of rainwater, snowmelt and initial liquid water released from the snowpack. Four field experiments were carried out during winter 2015 in the vicinity of Davos, Switzerland. Blocks of natural snow were isolated from the surrounding snowpack to inhibit lateral exchange of water and were exposed to artificial rainfall using deuterium-enriched water. The experiments were composed of four 30 min periods of sprinkling, separated by three 30 min breaks. The snowpack runoff was continuously gauged and sampled periodically for the deuterium signature. At the onset of each experiment antecedent liquid water was first pushed out by the sprinkling water. Hydrographs showed four pronounced peaks corresponding to the four sprinkling bursts. The contribution of rainwater to snowpack runoff consistently increased over the course of the experiment but never exceeded 86 %. An experiment conducted on a non-ripe snowpack suggested the development of preferential flow paths that allowed rainwater to efficiently propagate through the snowpack limiting the time for mass exchange processes to take effect. In contrast, experiments conducted on ripe isothermal snowpack showed a slower response behaviour and resulted in a total runoff volume which consisted of less than 50 % of the rain input.

  15. Quantitative analysis on the urban flood mitigation effect by the extensive green roof system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, J Y; Moon, H J; Kim, T I; Kim, H W; Han, M Y

    2013-10-01

    Extensive green-roof systems are expected to have a synergetic effect in mitigating urban runoff, decreasing temperature and supplying water to a building. Mitigation of runoff through rainwater retention requires the effective design of a green-roof catchment. This study identified how to improve building runoff mitigation through quantitative analysis of an extensive green-roof system. Quantitative analysis of green-roof runoff characteristics indicated that the extensive green roof has a high water-retaining capacity response to rainfall of less than 20 mm/h. As the rainfall intensity increased, the water-retaining capacity decreased. The catchment efficiency of an extensive green roof ranged from 0.44 to 0.52, indicating reduced runoff comparing with efficiency of 0.9 for a concrete roof. Therefore, extensive green roofs are an effective storm water best-management practice and the proposed parameters can be applied to an algorithm for rainwater-harvesting tank design. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Opportunities and challenges for harvest weed seed control in global cropping systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Michael J; Broster, John C; Schwartz-Lazaro, Lauren M; Norsworthy, Jason K; Davis, Adam S; Tidemann, Breanne D; Beckie, Hugh J; Lyon, Drew J; Soni, Neeta; Neve, Paul; Bagavathiannan, Muthukumar V

    2017-11-28

    The opportunity to target weed seeds during grain harvest was established many decades ago following the introduction of mechanical harvesting and the recognition of high weed-seed retention levels at crop maturity; however, this opportunity remained largely neglected until more recently. The introduction and adoption of harvest weed seed control (HWSC) systems in Australia has been in response to widespread occurrence of herbicide-resistant weed populations. With diminishing herbicide resources and the need to maintain highly productive reduced tillage and stubble-retention practices, growers began to develop systems that targeted weed seeds during crop harvest. Research and development efforts over the past two decades have established the efficacy of HWSC systems in Australian cropping systems, where widespread adoption is now occurring. With similarly dramatic herbicide resistance issues now present across many of the world's cropping regions, it is timely for HWSC systems to be considered for inclusion in weed-management programs in these areas. This review describes HWSC systems and establishing the potential for this approach to weed control in several cropping regions. As observed in Australia, the inclusion of HWSC systems can reduce weed populations substantially reducing the potential for weed adaptation and resistance evolution. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  17. Microbiological quality of drinking rainwater in the inland region of Pajeú, Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xavier, Rogério Pereira; Siqueira, Leonardo Pereira; Vital, Fernando Antonio Chaves; Rocha, Francisca Janaina Soares; Irmão, João Inácio; Calazans, Glícia Maria Torres

    2011-01-01

    Despite all efforts to store and reduce its consumption, water is becoming less inexhaustible and its quality is falling faster. Considering that water is essential to animal life, it is necessary to adopt measures to ensure its sanitary conditions in order to be fit for consumption. The aim of this study was to analyze the microbiological quality of drinking rainwater used by rural communities of Tuparetama, a small town located in Northeast Brazil. The study covered seven rural communities, totaling 66 households. In each household two samples were collected, one from a tank and the other from a clay pot located inside the home, resulting in 132 samples (tank plus clay pot). Approximately 90% of samples were below the standard recommended by the current legislation, being considered unfit for human consumption. Part of this high microbiological contamination of drinking rainwater could be related to the lack of sanitary education and of an adequate sewerage sanitation system.

  18. A System for Harvesting Eggs from the Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret L. Allen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe a system for harvesting eggs from a predatory insect, the pink-spotted lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculata De Geer (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae. Adult beetles placed in square, transparent containers that included oviposition substrates hanging from the top of the cage deposited eggs on the materials provided. We harvested eggs from these substrates in quantities sufficient for either destructive sampling or synchronous development of larvae. We evaluated effects of crowding inside cages; effects of a chemical attractant on oviposition behavior; egg cannibalism. Females preferred a textured surface rather than a smooth, waxy one for laying eggs. Crowding inhibited oviposition of beetles. Presence of a chemical attractant (methyl salicylate did not significantly improve oviposition. This paper describes an inexpensive system for harvesting eggs from C. maculata. Refinement of this system should improve oviposition and reduce cannibalism.

  19. Dynamics of rainwater lenses on upward seeping saline groundwater

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eeman, Sara

    2017-01-01

    Fresh water is generally a limited resource in coastal areas which are often densely populated. In low-lying areas, groundwater is mostly saline and both agriculture and freshwater nature depend on a thin lens of rainwater that is formed by precipitation surplus on top of saline, upward seeping

  20. Harvest Regulations and Implementation Uncertainty in Small Game Harvest Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pål F. Moa

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available A main challenge in harvest management is to set policies that maximize the probability that management goals are met. While the management cycle includes multiple sources of uncertainty, only some of these has received considerable attention. Currently, there is a large gap in our knowledge about implemention of harvest regulations, and to which extent indirect control methods such as harvest regulations are actually able to regulate harvest in accordance with intended management objectives. In this perspective article, we first summarize and discuss hunting regulations currently used in management of grouse species (Tetraonidae in Europe and North America. Management models suggested for grouse are most often based on proportional harvest or threshold harvest principles. These models are all built on theoretical principles for sustainable harvesting, and provide in the end an estimate on a total allowable catch. However, implementation uncertainty is rarely examined in empirical or theoretical harvest studies, and few general findings have been reported. Nevertheless, circumstantial evidence suggest that many of the most popular regulations are acting depensatory so that harvest bag sizes is more limited in years (or areas where game density is high, contrary to general recommendations. A better understanding of the implementation uncertainty related to harvest regulations is crucial in order to establish sustainable management systems. We suggest that scenario tools like Management System Evaluation (MSE should be more frequently used to examine robustness of currently applied harvest regulations to such implementation uncertainty until more empirical evidence is available.

  1. Polluted rainwater runoff from waste recovery and recycling companies: Determination of emission levels associated with the best available techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huybrechts, D; Verachtert, E; Vander Aa, S; Polders, C; Van den Abeele, L

    2016-08-01

    Rainwater falling on outdoor storage areas of waste recovery and recycling companies becomes polluted via contact with the stored materials. It contains various pollutants, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls, and is characterized by a highly fluctuating composition and flow rate. This polluted rainwater runoff is legally considered as industrial wastewater, and the polluting substances contained in the rainwater runoff at the point of discharge, are considered as emissions into water. The permitting authorities can set emission limit values (discharge limits) at the point of discharge. Best available techniques are an important reference point for setting emission limit values. In this paper, the emission levels associated with the best available techniques for dealing with polluted rainwater runoff from waste recovery and recycling companies were determined. The determination is based on an analysis of emission data measured at different companies in Flanders. The data show that a significant fraction of the pollution in rainwater runoff is associated with particles. A comparison with literature data provides strong indications that not only leaching, but also atmospheric deposition play an important role in the contamination of rainwater at waste recovery and recycling companies. The prevention of pollution and removal of suspended solids from rainwater runoff to levels below 60mg/l are considered as best available techniques. The associated emission levels were determined by considering only emission data from plants applying wastewater treatment, and excluding all samples with suspended solid levels >60mg/l. The resulting BAT-AEL can be used as a reference point for setting emission limit values for polluted rainwater runoff from waste recovery and recycling companies. Since the BAT-AEL (e.g. 150μg/l for Cu) are significantly lower than current emission levels (e.g. 300μg/l as the 90% percentile and 4910

  2. Chemical constituents in clouds and rainwater in the Puerto Rican rainforest: potential sources and seasonal drivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    A. Gioda; O.L. Mayol-Bracero; F. N. Scatena; K. C. Weathers; V. L. Mateus; W. H. McDowell

    2013-01-01

    Cloud- and rain-water samples collected between 1984 and 2007 in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, were analyzed in order to understand the main processes and sources that control their chemistry. Three sites were used: El Verde Field Station (380 m asl), Bisley (361 m asl), and East Peak (1051 m asl). Bulk rainwater samples were collected from all sites,...

  3. Environmental and socioeconomic benefits and limitations of water harvesting techniques in semiarid regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz-Pereira, Elvira; Asunción Romero-Díaz, María; de Vente, Joris

    2016-04-01

    Under climate change, sustainable management of soil and water resources is increasingly important, especially in rainfed agroecosystems of semiarid environments. Water harvesting refers to a range of techniques for the collection and management of flood or rainwater for domestic and agricultural use and for water retention in natural ecosystems. Water harvesting represents a good example of sustainable management of water resources that contribute to water and food security. However, there are often environmental and socioeconomic constraints for implementation of water harvesting techniques, so each condition asks for a specific solution. Here we aim to highlight the environmental and socioeconomic benefits, requirements and limitations of different water harvesting techniques and to characterize their implications for provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services. We reviewed 62 water harvesting techniques for semiarid regions extracted from the WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) database. We discuss aspects related to: i) human and environmental characteristics, ii) cost-benefit ratio during implementation and maintenance phases, iii) socioeconomic and environmental impacts at local and regional scales, and, iv) impacts on ecosystem services. Our review reveals that water harvesting represents very diverse methods of collecting and managing floodwaters and surface runoff. We grouped techniques as 'floodwater harvesting', 'macro-catchment water harvesting', 'micro-catchment water harvesting', and 'rooftop and courtyard' water harvesting. Almost half of all technologies originates from traditional knowledge. The implementation of water harvesting is generally positive on the short-term, to very positive on the long-term, while its maintenance is very positive at short and long-term. However, perception depends on the type of water harvesting and local conditions. Most relevant socioeconomic benefits from

  4. Design and fabrication of self-powered micro-harvesters rotating and vibrated micro-power systems

    CERN Document Server

    Pan, C T; Lin, Liwei; Chen, Ying-Chung

    2013-01-01

    Presents the latest methods for designing and fabricating self-powered micro-generators and energy harvester systems Design and Fabrication of Self-Powered Micro-Harvesters introduces the latest trends of self-powered generators and energy harvester systems, including the design, analysis and fabrication of micro power systems. Presented in four distinct parts, the authors explore the design and fabrication of: vibration-induced electromagnetic micro-generators; rotary electromagnetic micro-generators; flexible piezo-micro-generator with various widths; and PVDF electrospunpiezo-energy with

  5. Water SA

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Influence of temperature on the performance of anaerobic treatment systems of ... the chemical quality of rainwater harvested from roof and surface run-off systems ... as early warning signals in assessing pollution from acid mine drainage and ...

  6. Water SA - Vol 44, No 2 (2018)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Influence of temperature on the performance of anaerobic treatment systems of ... the chemical quality of rainwater harvested from roof and surface run-off systems ... as early warning signals in assessing pollution from acid mine drainage and ...

  7. EMA-qPCR to monitor the efficiency of a closed-coupled solar pasteurization system in reducing Legionella contamination of roof-harvested rainwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyneke, B; Dobrowsky, P H; Ndlovu, T; Khan, S; Khan, W

    2016-05-15

    Solar pasteurization is effective in reducing the level of indicator organisms in stored rainwater to within drinking water standards. However, Legionella spp. were detected at temperatures exceeding the recommended pasteurization temperatures using polymerase chain reaction assays. The aim of the current study was thus to apply EMA quantitative polymerase chain reaction (EMA-qPCR) to determine whether the Legionella spp. detected were intact cells and therefore possibly viable at pasteurization temperatures >70°C. The BacTiter-Glo™ Microbial Cell Viability Assay was also used to detect the presence of ATP in the tested samples, as ATP indicates the presence of metabolically active cells. Chemical analysis also indicated that all anions and cations were within the respective drinking water guidelines, with the exception of iron (mean: 186.76 μg/L) and aluminium (mean: 188.13 μg/L), which were detected in the pasteurized tank water samples at levels exceeding recommended guidelines. The BacTiter-Glo™ Microbial Cell Viability Assay indicated the presence of viable cells for all pasteurized temperatures tested, with the percentage of ATP (in the form of relative light units) decreasing with increasing temperature [70-79°C (96.7%); 80- 89°C (99.2%); 90-95°C (99.7%)]. EMA-qPCR then indicated that while solar pasteurization significantly reduced (p0.05) in the mean copy numbers was detected with an increase in the pasteurization temperature, with 6 × 10(3) genomic copies/mL DNA sample obtained at 95°C. As intact Legionella cells were detected in the pasteurized tank water samples, quantitative microbial risk assessment studies need to be conducted to determine the potential health risk associated with using the water for domestic purposes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. State-Dependent Resource Harvesting with Lagged Information about System States.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fred A Johnson

    Full Text Available Markov decision processes (MDPs, which involve a temporal sequence of actions conditioned on the state of the managed system, are increasingly being applied in natural resource management. This study focuses on the modification of a traditional MDP to account for those cases in which an action must be chosen after a significant time lag in observing system state, but just prior to a new observation. In order to calculate an optimal decision policy under these conditions, possible actions must be conditioned on the previous observed system state and action taken. We show how to solve these problems when the state transition structure is known and when it is uncertain. Our focus is on the latter case, and we show how actions must be conditioned not only on the previous system state and action, but on the probabilities associated with alternative models of system dynamics. To demonstrate this framework, we calculated and simulated optimal, adaptive policies for MDPs with lagged states for the problem of deciding annual harvest regulations for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos in the United States. In this particular example, changes in harvest policy induced by the use of lagged information about system state were sufficient to maintain expected management performance (e.g. population size, harvest even in the face of an uncertain system state at the time of a decision.

  9. State-dependent resource harvesting with lagged information about system states

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Fred A.; Fackler, Paul L.; Boomer, G Scott; Zimmerman, Guthrie S.; Williams, Byron K.; Nichols, James D.; Dorazio, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Markov decision processes (MDPs), which involve a temporal sequence of actions conditioned on the state of the managed system, are increasingly being applied in natural resource management. This study focuses on the modification of a traditional MDP to account for those cases in which an action must be chosen after a significant time lag in observing system state, but just prior to a new observation. In order to calculate an optimal decision policy under these conditions, possible actions must be conditioned on the previous observed system state and action taken. We show how to solve these problems when the state transition structure is known and when it is uncertain. Our focus is on the latter case, and we show how actions must be conditioned not only on the previous system state and action, but on the probabilities associated with alternative models of system dynamics. To demonstrate this framework, we calculated and simulated optimal, adaptive policies for MDPs with lagged states for the problem of deciding annual harvest regulations for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the United States. In this particular example, changes in harvest policy induced by the use of lagged information about system state were sufficient to maintain expected management performance (e.g. population size, harvest) even in the face of an uncertain system state at the time of a decision.

  10. Oligomers, organosulfates, and nitrooxy organosulfates in rainwater identified by ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization FT-ICR mass spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. E. Altieri

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Wet deposition is an important removal mechanism for atmospheric organic matter, and a potentially important input for receiving ecosystems, yet less than 50% of rainwater organic matter is considered chemically characterized. Precipitation samples collected in New Jersey, USA, were analyzed by negative ion ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS. Elemental compositions of 552 unique molecular species were determined in the mass range 50–500 Da in the rainwater. Four main groups of organic compounds were identified: compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (CHO only, sulfur (S containing CHOS compounds, nitrogen (N containing CHON compounds, and S- and N- containing CHONS compounds. Organic acids commonly identified in precipitation were detected in the rainwater. Within the four main groups of compounds detected in the rainwater, oligomers, organosulfates, and nitrooxy-organosulfates were assigned based on elemental formula comparisons. The majority of the compounds identified are products of atmospheric reactions and are known contributors to secondary organic aerosol (SOA formed from gas phase, aerosol phase, and in-cloud reactions in the atmosphere. It is suggested that the large uncharacterized component of SOA is the main contributor to the large uncharacterized component of rainwater organic matter.

  11. Challenges for extension service to render efficient post-transformer ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    LPhidza

    Key words: rainwater harvesting and conservation, climate description, soil description, rangeland ... classified according to South African Classification System. Climate results .... To ensure minimal losses from deep drainage, soils with a low.

  12. Organic acids and aldehydes in rainwater in a northwest region of Spain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pena, R.M.; Garcia, S.; Herrero, C. [Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo (Spain). Departamento de Quimica Analitica, Nutricion y Bromatologia

    2002-11-01

    During a 1 year period, measurements of carboxylic acids and aldehydes were carried out in rainwater samples collected at nine different sites in NW Spain surrounding a thermal power plant in order to determine concentration levels and sources. In addition, certain major ions (Cl{sup -}, NO{sub 3}{sup -}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, Na{sup +}, NH{sub 4}{sup +}, K{sup +}, Mg{sup 2+}, Ca{sup 2+}) were also determined. Aldehyde and carboxylic acid concentration patterns and their effects on rainwater composition concerning temporal, seasonal and spatial variations were evaluated. Among carboxylic acids, formic and acetic were predominant (VWA 7.0 and 8.3 {mu}M), while formaldehyde and acroleine were the dominant aldehydes (VWA 0.42 and 1.25 {mu}M). Carboxylic acids were estimated to account for 27.5% of the total free acidity (TFA), whereas sulphuric and nitric acid accounted for 46.2% and 26.2%, respectively. Oxalic acid was demonstrated to be an important contributing compound to the acidification in rainwater representing 7.1% of the TFA. The concentration of aldehydes and carboxylic acids, which originated mainly from biogenic emissions in the area studied, was strongly dependent on the season of the year (growing and non-growing). The ratios of formic to acetic acids are considerably different in the two seasons suggesting that there exist distinct sources in both growing and non-growing seasons. Principal component analysis was applied in order to elucidate the sources of aldehydes and organic acids in rainwater. The prevalence of natural vegetative origins for both of these compounds versus anthropogenic emissions was demonstrated and the importance of the oxidation of aldehydes as a relevant source of organic acids was also established. (author)

  13. Pride of Ghana

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    De Jager, Peta

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available -water systems have been developed in this scheme, the gardens are mostly passively irrigated by rainwater. Storm-water is directed away from the building through a series of hefty drainage channels. In its sprawling layout, the hospital makes good use... season. The building is responsive to the climate through its open corridor system, which provides plenty of fresh air and light, and its deep roof overhangs to provide protection from rain and sun. While neither rainwater harvesting nor grey...

  14. Utilisation of service water and rainwater: New technologies for rainwater management; Betriebs- und Regenwassernutzung: neue Wege im Umgang mit Regenwasser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goetsch, E.

    2005-04-01

    The new 'Holocaust Memorial' in Berlin near the Brandenburg gate has specially developed, unusual technical solutions for service water and rainwater management. Details are presented in the contribution. (orig.) [German] Nur wenige Minuten vom Brandenburger Tor entsteht in Berlin das 'Denkmal fuer die ermordeten Juden in Europa'. Fuer die Betriebswasserver- und -entsorgung wurden spezielle und aussergewoehnliche technische Loesungen gefordert, die nachfolgend naeher beschrieben werden. (orig.)

  15. A Self-Powered Hybrid Energy Scavenging System Utilizing RF and Vibration Based Electromagnetic Harvesters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uluşan, H; Gharehbaghi, K; Külah, H; Zorlu, Ö; Muhtaroğlu, A

    2015-01-01

    This study presents a novel hybrid system that combines the power generated simultaneously by a vibration-based Electromagnetic (EM) harvester and a UHF band RF harvester. The novel hybrid scavenger interface uses a power management circuit in 180 nm CMOS technology to step-up and to regulate the combined output. At the first stage of the system, the RF harvester generates positive DC output with a 7-stage threshold compensated rectifier, while the EM harvester generates negative DC output with a self-powered AC/DC negative doubler circuit. At the second stage, the generated voltages are serially added, stepped-up with an on-chip charge pump circuit, and regulated to a typical battery voltage of 3 V. Test results indicate that the hybrid operation enables generation of 9 μW at 3 V output for a wide range of input stimulations, which could not be attained with either harvesting mode by itself. Moreover the hybrid system behaves as a typical battery, and keeps the output voltage stable at 3 V up to 18 μW of output power. The presented system is the first battery-like harvester to our knowledge that generates energy from two independent sources and regulates the output to a stable DC voltage. (paper)

  16. Post-harvest physiology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weather and management constraints, as well as the intended use of the harvested forage, all influence the forage harvest system selected by the producer. Generally, maximum retention of dry matter from harvested forage crops is achieved at moistures intermediate between the standing fresh crop and ...

  17. Is the Revitalisation of Smallholder Irrigation Schemes (RESIS ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2013-09-30

    Sep 30, 2013 ... including rainwater harvesting, flood recession, flood water spreading, river ... Smallholder irrigation systems can comprise farmers who use shared or ...... on Irrigation and Drainage, 15-17 November 2006, Aventura. Swadini.

  18. Multiple Input Energy Harvesting Systems for Autonomous IoT End-Nodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johan J. Estrada-López

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The Internet-of-Things (IoT paradigm is under constant development and is being enabled by the latest research work from both industrial and academic communities. Among the many contributions in such diverse areas as sensor manufacturing, network protocols, and wireless communications, energy harvesting techniques stand out as a key enabling technology for the realization of batteryless IoT end-node systems. In this paper, we give an overview of the recent developments in circuit design for ultra-low power management units (PMUs, focusing mainly in the architectures and techniques required for energy harvesting from multiple heterogeneous sources. The paper starts by discussing a general structure for IoT end-nodes and the main characteristics of PMUs for energy harvesting. Then, an overview is given of different published works for multisource power harvesting, observing their main advantages and disadvantages and comparing their performance. Finally, some open areas of research in multisource harvesting are observed and relevant conclusions are given.

  19. Factors affecting the levels of hydrogen peroxide in rainwater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng YiWei; Zuo YueGang

    1999-01-01

    Measurements of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and several meteorological and chemical parameters were made for 34 rain events which occurred in Miami, Florida between April, 1995 and October, 1996. The measured H 2 O 2 concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 38.6 μM with an average concentration of 6.9 μM. A strong seasonal dependence for H 2 O 2 concentrations was observed during this period, with highest concentrations in the summer and lower levels in the winter, which corresponds to the stronger solar radiation and higher vaporization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the summer and fall, and the weaker sunlight and lower vaporization in the winter and spring. Measurements also showed a significant increase trend of H 2 O 2 with increasing ambient rainwater temperature. Rains that were out from lower latitude were exposed to higher solar irradiation and contained relatively higher levels of H 2 O 2 than those from the north. All these observations indicate that photochemical reactions that involved volatile organic compounds are the predominant source of H 2 O 2 observed in rainwater. During several individual rainstorms, H 2 O 2 concentration was found to increase as a function of time due to electrical storm activities. This finding suggests that lightning could be an important factor that determines the level of H 2 O 2 during thunderstorms. Statistical data showed that the highest concentrations of H 2 O 2 were observed only in rains containing low levels of nonsea-salt sulfate (NSS), nitrate and hydrogen ion. H 2 O 2 concentrations in continental originated rains were much lower than marine originated ones, indicating that air pollutants in continental rains could significantly deplete the H 2 O 2 concentration in atmospheric gas-phase, clouds and rainwater. (author)

  20. Improved technique for measuring the size distribution of black carbon particles in rainwater and snow samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mori, T.; Moteki, N.; Ohata, S.; Koike, M.; Azuma, K. G.; Miyazaki, Y.; Kondo, Y.

    2015-12-01

    Black carbon (BC) is the strongest contributor to sunlight absorption among atmospheric aerosols. Quantitative understanding of wet deposition of BC, which strongly affects the spatial distribution of BC, is important to improve our understandings on climate change. We have devised a technique for measuring the masses of individual BC particles in rainwater and snow samples, as a combination of a nebulizer and a single-particle soot photometer (SP2) (Ohata et al. 2011, 2013; Schwarz et al. 2012; Mori et al. 2014). We show two important improvements in this technique: 1)We have extended the upper limit of detectable BC particle diameter from 0.9 μm to about 4.0 μm by modifying the photodetector for measuring the laser-induced incandescence signal. 2)We introduced a pneumatic nebulizer Marin-5 (Cetac Technologies Inc., Omaha, NE, USA) and experimentally confirmed its high extraction efficiency (~50%) independent of particle diameter up to 2.0 μm. Using our improved system, we simultaneously measured the size distribution of BC particles in air and rainwater in Tokyo. We observed that the size distribution of BC in rainwater was larger than that in air, indicating that large BC particles were effectively removed by precipitation. We also observed BC particles with diameters larger than 1.0 μm, indicating that further studies of wet deposition of BC will require the use of the modified SP2.

  1. Rainwater harvesting and management in rainfed agricultural systems in Sub-Saharan Africa - A review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Biazin, B.; Sterk, G.; Temesgen, M.; Abdulkedir, A.; Stroosnijder, L.

    2012-01-01

    Agricultural water scarcity in the predominantly rainfed agricultural system of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is more related to the variability of rainfall and excessive non-productive losses, than the total annual precipitation in the growing season. Less than 15% of the terrestrial precipitation

  2. Dual-Hop VLC/RF Transmission System with Energy Harvesting Relay under Delay Constraint

    KAUST Repository

    Rakia, Tamer

    2017-02-09

    In this paper, we introduce a dual-hop visible light communication (VLC) / radio frequency (RF) transmission system to extend the coverage of indoor VLC systems. The relay between the two hops is able to harvest light energy from different artificial light sources and sunlight entering the room. The relay receives data packet over a VLC channel and uses the harvested energy to retransmit it to a mobile terminal over an RF channel. We develop a novel statistical model for the harvested electrical power and analyze the probability of data packet loss. We define a system design parameter (α ∈ [0, 1)) that controls the time dedicated for excess energy harvesting and data packet retransmission. It was found that the parameter has an optimal value which minimizes the packet loss probability. Further more, this optimal value is independent of the RF channel path loss. However, optimal showed inverse dependence on the packet size.

  3. Diameter sensors for tree-length harvesting systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    T.P. McDonald; Robert B. Rummer; T.E. Grift

    2003-01-01

    Most cut-to-length (CTL) harvesters provide sensors for measuring diameter of trees as they are cut and processed. Among other uses, this capability provides a data collection tool for marketing of logs in real time. Logs can be sorted and stacked based on up-to-date market information, then transportation systems optimized to route wood to proper destinations at...

  4. Experimental Analysis of a Coupled Energy Harvesting System with Monostable and Bistable Configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffmann, D; Folkmer, B; Manoli, Y

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we present experimental results from an energy harvesting system with two coupled energy harvesters. The energy conversion mechanism of the two coupled energy harvesters is based on the electromagnetic principle. The coupling is generated by two magnets in a repulsive arrangement. In this manner a bistable configuration can be obtained if the gap between the magnets is sufficiently small. We demonstrate that the total power output can be increased in comparison to a linear reference system, if specific conditions are fulfilled. In this respect, the highest power output occurs in the nonlinear region of a monostable system configuration, mostly near the transition to a bistable configuration. On the other hand, the results also indicate, that a bistable operating mode does not necessarily enhance the power output of the coupled system

  5. Study on fault diagnosis and load feedback control system of combine harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ying; Wang, Kun

    2017-01-01

    In order to timely gain working status parameters of operating parts in combine harvester and improve its operating efficiency, fault diagnosis and load feedback control system is designed. In the system, rotation speed sensors were used to gather these signals of forward speed and rotation speeds of intermediate shaft, conveying trough, tangential and longitudinal flow threshing rotors, grain conveying auger. Using C8051 single chip microcomputer (SCM) as processor for main control unit, faults diagnosis and forward speed control were carried through by rotation speed ratio analysis of each channel rotation speed and intermediate shaft rotation speed by use of multi-sensor fused fuzzy control algorithm, and these processing results would be sent to touch screen and display work status of combine harvester. Field trials manifest that fault monitoring and load feedback control system has good man-machine interaction and the fault diagnosis method based on rotation speed ratios has low false alarm rate, and the system can realize automation control of forward speed for combine harvester.

  6. An energy harvesting system for passively generating power from human activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, Yuan; Cheng, Shuo; Arnold, David P

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a complete, self-contained energy harvesting system composed of a magnetic energy harvester, an input-powered interface circuit and a rechargeable battery. The system converts motion from daily human activities such as walking, jogging, and cycling into usable electrical energy. By using an input-powered interface circuit, the system requires no external power supplies and features zero standby power when the input motion is too small for successful energy reclamation. When attached to a person's ankle during walking, the 100 cm 3 system prototype is shown to charge a 3.7 V, 65 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery at an average power of 300 µW. The design and testing of the system under other operating conditions are presented herein. (paper)

  7. Optimized Design of Thermoelectric Energy Harvesting Systems for Waste Heat Recovery from Exhaust Pipes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Nesarajah

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available With the increasing interest in energy efficiency and resource protection, waste heat recovery processes have gained importance. Thereby, one possibility is the conversion of the heat energy into electrical energy by thermoelectric generators. Here, a thermoelectric energy harvesting system is developed to convert the waste heat from exhaust pipes, which are very often used to transport the heat, e.g., in automobiles, in industrial facilities or in heating systems. That is why a mockup of a heating is built-up, and the developed energy harvesting system is attached. To build-up this system, a model-based development process is used. The setup of the developed energy harvesting system is very flexible to test different variants and an optimized system can be found in order to increase the energy yield for concrete application examples. A corresponding simulation model is also presented, based on previously developed libraries in Modelica®/Dymola®. In the end, it can be shown—with measurement and simulation results—that a thermoelectric energy harvesting system on the exhaust pipe of a heating system delivers extra energy and thus delivers a contribution for a more efficient usage of the inserted primary energy carrier.

  8. Source apportionment of heavy metals and ionic contaminants in rainwater tanks in a subtropical urban area in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huston, R; Chan, Y C; Chapman, H; Gardner, T; Shaw, G

    2012-03-15

    Due to prolonged droughts in recent years, the use of rainwater tanks in urban areas has increased in Australia. In order to apportion sources of contribution to heavy metal and ionic contaminants in rainwater tanks in Brisbane, a subtropical urban area in Australia, monthly tank water samples (24 sites, 31 tanks) and concurrent bulk deposition samples (18 sites) were collected during mainly April 2007-March 2008. The samples were analysed for acid-soluble metals, soluble anions, total inorganic carbon and total organic carbon, and characteristics such as total solid and pH. The Positive Matrix Factorisation model, EPA PMF 3.0, was used to apportion sources of contribution to the contaminants. Four source factors were identified for the bulk deposition samples, including 'crustal matter/sea salt', 'car exhausts/road side dust', 'industrial dust' and 'aged sea salt/secondary aerosols'. For the tank water samples, apart from these atmospheric deposition related factors which contributed in total to 65% of the total contaminant concentration on average, another six rainwater collection system related factors were identified, including 'plumbing', 'building material', 'galvanizing', 'roofing', 'steel' and 'lead flashing/paint' (contributing in total to 35% of the total concentration on average). The Australian Drinking Water Guideline for lead was exceeded in 15% of the tank water samples. The collection system related factors, in particular the 'lead flashing/paint' factor, contributed to 79% of the lead in the tank water samples on average. The concentration of lead in tank water was found to vary with various environmental and collection system factors, in particular the presence of lead flashing on the roof. The results also indicated the important role of sludge dynamics inside the tank on the quality of tank water. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Vibration energy harvesting system for railroad safety based on running vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tianchen, Yuan; Jian, Yang; Ruigang, Song; Xiaowei, Liu

    2014-01-01

    This research is focused on energy harvesting from track vibration in order to provide power for the wireless sensors which monitor railroad health. Considering that track vibration has vibration energy, a new method is proposed in the paper to harvest energy based on the piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric generator called drum transducer is the key part for track vibration energy harvesting. The model of drum transducer is established and the simulation results show that it can generate 100 mW in real track situation. In addition, an experiment rig is developed and its vibration model is also established. The simulation and experiment results show that peak open-circuit voltage of piezoelectric generator is about 50–70 V at the full load of the train. The whole track vibration energy harvesting system is analytically modeled, numerically simulated, and experimentally realized to demonstrate the feasibility and the reliability of the theoretical model. This paper is the theoretical basis of harvesting, recovering and recycling of the track vibration energy for track safety. (paper)

  10. Optimal Design of Dual-Hop VLC/RF Communication System With Energy Harvesting

    KAUST Repository

    Rakia, Tamer

    2016-07-28

    In this letter, we consider a dual-hop heterogeneous visible light communication (VLC)/radio frequency (RF) communication system to extend the coverage of VLC systems. Besides detecting the information over VLC link, the relay is able to harvest energy from the first-hop VLC link, by extracting the direct current component of the received optical signal, and uses the harvested energy to retransmit the data to a mobile terminal over the second-hop RF link. We investigate the optimal design of the hybrid system in terms of data rate maximization.

  11. Department of Environmental Monitor

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    2014-11-25

    Nov 25, 2014 ... There is seasonal water scarcity in Marigat Division and the water demand ... with improved storage and rainwater harvesting methods. ..... in the planning process and decision making .... systems for domestic uses in urban.

  12. Development of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system for implementing wireless sensors on the tires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jaeyun; Choi, Bumkyoo

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • This study is focused on a stable energy source independent of vehicle speed. • It is ascertained that the use of a strain field is suitable for this purpose. • A piezo patch generates 380.2 μJ per revolution under 500 kgf load and 60 km/h. • A self-powered wireless sensor system is manufactured for application and tested during vehicle driving. • The system is applicable to intelligent tire sensor systems. - Abstract: The need for energy harvesting technology is steadily growing in the field of self-powered wireless sensor systems for intelligent tires. The purpose of this study is to mount an energy harvester inside the tire. In order to achieve this, we focus on a stable energy source almost independent of vehicle speed. It is ascertained that the use of a strain field is suitable for this purpose. In order to develop the energy harvester for the tire, modeling of tire behavior has been performed and verified through comparing with experimental results. From the results, a piezoelectric energy harvester generates 380.2 μJ per revolution under 500 kgf load and 60 km/h. A self-powered wireless sensor system is manufactured for application and tested during vehicle driving. The result of this study presents 1.37 μW/mm 3 of power generation from the performance of the energy harvester. This study concludes that the system is applicable to wireless tire sensor systems after making minor improvements

  13. Object-Oriented Modeling of an Energy Harvesting System Based on Thermoelectric Generators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesarajah, Marco; Frey, Georg

    This paper deals with the modeling of an energy harvesting system based on thermoelectric generators (TEG), and the validation of the model by means of a test bench. TEGs are capable to improve the overall energy efficiency of energy systems, e.g. combustion engines or heating systems, by using the remaining waste heat to generate electrical power. Previously, a component-oriented model of the TEG itself was developed in Modelica® language. With this model any TEG can be described and simulated given the material properties and the physical dimension. Now, this model was extended by the surrounding components to a complete model of a thermoelectric energy harvesting system. In addition to the TEG, the model contains the cooling system, the heat source, and the power electronics. To validate the simulation model, a test bench was built and installed on an oil-fired household heating system. The paper reports results of the measurements and discusses the validity of the developed simulation models. Furthermore, the efficiency of the proposed energy harvesting system is derived and possible improvements based on design variations tested in the simulation model are proposed.

  14. Energy Harvesting in Heterogeneous Networks with Hybrid Powered Communication Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Alsharoa, Ahmad

    2018-02-12

    In this paper, we investigate an energy efficient and energy harvesting (EH) system model in heterogeneous networks (HetNets) where all base stations (BSS) are equipped to harvest energy from renewable energy sources. We consider a hybrid power supply of green (renewable) and traditional micro-grid, such that traditional micro-grid is not exploited as long as the BSS can meet their power demands from harvested and stored green energy. Therefore, our goal is to minimize the networkwide energy consumption subject to users\\' certain quality of service and BSS\\' power consumption constraints. As a result of binary BS sleeping status and user-cell association variables, proposed is formulated as a binary linear programming (BLP) problem. A green communication algorithm based on binary particle swarm optimization is implemented to solve the problem with low complexity time.

  15. Development of Vibration-Based Piezoelectric Raindrop Energy Harvesting System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Chin Hong; Dahari, Zuraini

    2017-03-01

    The trend of finding new means to harvest energy has triggered numerous researches to explore the potential of raindrop energy harvesting. This paper presents an investigation on raindrop energy harvesting which compares the performance of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) cantilever and bridge structure transducers and the development of a raindrop energy harvesting system. The parameters which contribute to the output voltage such as droplet size, droplets released at specific heights and dimensions of PVDF transducers are analyzed. Based on the experimental results, the outcomes have shown that the bridge structure transducer generated a higher voltage than the cantilever. Several dimensions have been tested and it was found that the 30 mm × 4 mm × 25 μm bridge structure transducer generated a relatively high AC open-circuit voltage, which is 4.22 V. The power generated by the bridge transducer is 18 μW across a load of 330 kΩ. The transducer is able to drive up a standard alternative current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter (full-wave bridge rectifier). It generated a DC voltage, V DC of 8.7 mV and 229 pW across a 330 kΩ resistor per drop. It is also capable to generate 9.3 nJ in 20 s from an actual rain event.

  16. RELIABILITY TESTING OF AN ON-HARVESTER COTTON WEIGHT MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    A system for weighing seed cotton onboard stripper harvesters was developed and installed on several producer owned and operated machines. The weight measurement system provides critical information to producers when in the process of calibrating yield monitors or conducting on-farm research. The ...

  17. Production system and harvesting stage influence on nitrate content and quality of butterhead lettuce

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siti Fairuz Yosoff

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Leafy vegetables such as lettuce grown under different production systems may accumulate different concentrations of nitrate which may reach to the levels potentially toxic to humans. Moreover, nitrate accumulation varies in various plant parts and physiological age of the plant. Therefore, to determine the effect of production system and harvesting stage on nitrate accumulation and quality of butterhead lettuce, a study was conducted considering two lettuce production systems namely hydroponic and organic, and four different harvesting stages such as 35, 38, 41 and 44 days after transplanting (DAT. The experimental design was complete randomized design (CRD with four replications. Hydroponic and organic systems performed similar in terms of yield, quality and nitrate content of butterhead lettuce. Delaying harvesting can not only increase yield but also can minimize nitrate accumulation and health hazard risk as well. Delay in harvesting stage may result in quality deterioration of lettuce and increased production cost. Thus, a compromise is necessary to consider 41 DAT as the optimum stage to harvest butterhead lettuce with significantly higher reduction of nitrate content in both outer adult leaf blades and young leaves of hydroponic lettuce. Fresh weight, firmness and color of butterhead lettuce at this stage were still acceptable.

  18. The capitalized value of rainwater tanks in the property market of Perth, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Fan; Polyakov, Maksym; Fogarty, James; Pannell, David J.

    2015-03-01

    In response to frequent water shortages, governments in Australia have encouraged home owners to install rainwater tanks, often by provision of partial funding for their installation. A simple investment analysis suggests that the net private benefits of rainwater tanks are negative, potentially providing justification for funding support for tank installation if it results in sufficiently large public benefits. However, using a hedonic price analysis we estimate that there is a premium of up to AU18,000 built into the sale prices of houses with tanks installed. The premium is likely to be greater than the costs of installation, even allowing for the cost of time that home owners must devote to research, purchase and installation. The premium is likely to reflect non-financial as well as financial benefits from installation. The robustness of our estimated premium is investigated using both bounded regression analysis and simulation methods and the result is found to be highly robust. The policy implication is that governments should not rely on payments to encourage installation of rainwater tanks, but instead should use information provision as their main mechanism for promoting uptake. Several explanations for the observation that many home owners are apparently leaving benefits on the table are canvased, but no fully satisfactory explanation is identified.

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

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    processes in the soil, has greatly enhanced understanding of the system, ... and management strategies to combat excessive water losses by deep drainage. ... risk clay and duplex soils and high runoff losses, in-field rainwater harvesting ...

  20. Design and experimental investigation of a low-voltage thermoelectric energy harvesting system for wireless sensor nodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guan, Mingjie; Wang, Kunpeng; Xu, Dazheng; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A thermoelectric energy harvesting system for wireless sensor nodes is designed. • An ultra-low voltage self-startup is implemented. • Maximum power point tracking and low power designs are applied for high efficiency. • Efficiency of 44.2–75.4% is obtained with open-circuit voltage of 84–400 mV. • System efficiency is higher than the commercial BQ25504 converter. - Abstract: A thermoelectric energy harvesting system designed to harvest tens of microwatts to several milliwatts from low-voltage thermoelectric generators is presented in this paper. The proposed system is based-on a two-stage boost scheme with self-startup ability. A maximum power point tracking technique based on the open-circuit voltage is adopted in the boost converter for high efficiency. Experimental results indicate that the proposed system can harvest thermoelectric energy and run a microcontroller unit and a wireless sensor node under low input voltage and power with high efficiency. The harvest system and wireless sensor node can be self-powered with minimum thermoelectric open-circuit voltage as 62 mV and input power of 84 μW. With a self-startup scheme, the proposed system can self-start with a 20 mV input voltage. Low power designs are applied in the system to reduce the quiescent dissipation power. It results in better performance considering the conversion efficiency and self-startup ability compared to commercial boost systems used for thermal energy harvesting.

  1. Development and application of remote video monitoring system for combine harvester based on embedded Linux

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jin; Wang, Yifan; Wang, Xuelei; Wang, Yuehong; Hu, Rui

    2017-01-01

    Combine harvester usually works in sparsely populated areas with harsh environment. In order to achieve the remote real-time video monitoring of the working state of combine harvester. A remote video monitoring system based on ARM11 and embedded Linux is developed. The system uses USB camera for capturing working state video data of the main parts of combine harvester, including the granary, threshing drum, cab and cut table. Using JPEG image compression standard to compress video data then transferring monitoring screen to remote monitoring center over the network for long-range monitoring and management. At the beginning of this paper it describes the necessity of the design of the system. Then it introduces realization methods of hardware and software briefly. And then it describes detailedly the configuration and compilation of embedded Linux operating system and the compiling and transplanting of video server program are elaborated. At the end of the paper, we carried out equipment installation and commissioning on combine harvester and then tested the system and showed the test results. In the experiment testing, the remote video monitoring system for combine harvester can achieve 30fps with the resolution of 800x600, and the response delay in the public network is about 40ms.

  2. The radioactive contamination level in Croatia by means of radioactive rainwaters, caused by the accident in NPP 'Lenin'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barishicj, D.; Koshuticj, K.; Kvastek, K.; Lulicj, S.; Tuta, J.; Vertachnik, A.; Vrhovac, A.

    1987-01-01

    In this paper, the radioactive contamination level in Croatia by means of radioactive rainwaters, caused by the accident in NPP 'Lenin', has been described. The results represent the sum of measured and evaluated data, the map of the radioactive contamination in Croatia caused by radioactive rainwaters between April, 28 to May, 20 1986 has been constructed. (author) 3 tabs.; 5 figs

  3. A computer-based time study system for timber harvesting operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jingxin Wang; Joe McNeel; John Baumgras

    2003-01-01

    A computer-based time study system was developed for timber harvesting operations. Object-oriented techniques were used to model and design the system. The front-end of the time study system resides on the MS Windows CE and the back-end is supported by MS Access. The system consists of three major components: a handheld system, data transfer interface, and data storage...

  4. Shallow rainwater lenses in deltaic areas with saline seepage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. G. B. de Louw

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and size. Our findings are based on different types of field measurements and detailed numerical groundwater models applied in the south-western delta of the Netherlands. By combining the applied techniques we could extrapolate measurements at point scale (groundwater sampling, temperature and electrical soil conductivity (TEC-probe measurements, electrical cone penetration tests (ECPT to field scale (continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES, electromagnetic survey with EM31, and even to regional scale using helicopter-borne electromagnetic measurements (HEM. The measurements show a gradual mixing zone between infiltrating fresh rainwater and upward flowing saline groundwater. The mixing zone is best characterized by the depth of the centre of the mixing zone Dmix, where the salinity is half that of seepage water, and the bottom of the mixing zone Bmix, with a salinity equal to that of the seepage water (Cl-conc. 10 to 16 g l−1. Dmix is found at very shallow depth in the confining top layer, on average at 1.7 m below ground level (b.g.l., while Bmix lies about 2.5 m b.g.l. The model results show that the constantly alternating upward and downward flow at low velocities in the confining layer is the main mechanism of mixing between rainwater and saline seepage and determines the position and extent of the mixing zone (Dmix and Bmix. Recharge, seepage flux, and drainage depth are the controlling factors.

  5. Performance of a mid-sized harvester-forwarder system in integrated harvesting of sawmill, pulpwood and firewood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrei Ioan Apăfăian

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Fully mechanized timber harvesting systems are generally characterized by a high operational performance being widespread and used across many regions. Such systems are adaptable to different levels of operational integration, enabling also the recovery of energy wood, but given integration configurations affect their performance. A production study was carried out in a Norway spruce clear-cut aiming to investigate the performance of a mid-sized harvester-forwarder system in general, and the effect that fuelwood recovery from tree tops may have on its performance. Data was collected in the field during 11 days of observation using state-of-art equipment and software. Harvester’s operations were monitored using a digital camera. Data refined from 27.5 filmed hours that accounted for 1045 felled and fully processed trees was used to model and compute its performance indicators. In addition, fuel consumption data was sampled in the field. The results indicated that a delay-free cycle time consumption was affected by variables characterizing the tree size. The net production rate was estimated to about 26.5 m3 ∙ h-1, being substantially affected by supplementary tree-top processing. Forwarding operations were monitored using a handheld computer and a Global Positioning System unit. The delay-free cycle time consumption was affected by forwarding distance and the amount of loaded wood, resulting in a net production rate of about 19.2 m3 ∙ h-1. Under these circumstances, the forwarding performance matched the harvester’s outputs for an extraction distance of about 100 m, indicating that the supplementary processing of the tree-tops had no effect on the system’s productive performance in the studied conditions. Most likely, it affected the harvester’s fuel consumption given its proportion of 9% in the delay-free harvester’s cycle time. The results also indicated a mean fuel consumption of about 1.7 l ∙ m-3 for the studied harvesting

  6. Quantification of long-term precipitation use efficiencies of different ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2007-01-01

    Jan 1, 2007 ... It was concluded that the advantage of in-field rainwater harvesting over conventional tillage was mainly due ... runoff, evaporation and deep drainage, during the growing and ..... cation – A taxonomic system for South Africa.

  7. Hydrogeological and geophysical study for deeper groundwater ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    lected using Syscal Pro Switch-10 channel system and covered a 2 km long profile in a tough terrain. The hydrogeological ... a rainwater harvesting structure to recharge the subsurface in ... southwest trend. The drainage pattern is dendritic.

  8. Modelling runoff on ceramic tile roofs using the kinematic wave equations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silveira, Alexandre; Abrantes, João; de Lima, João; Lira, Lincoln

    2016-04-01

    Rainwater harvesting is a water saving alternative strategy that presents many advantages and can provide solutions to address major water resources problems, such as fresh water scarcity, urban stream degradation and flooding. In recent years, these problems have become global challenges, due to climatic change, population growth and increasing urbanisation. Generally, roofs are the first to come into contact with rainwater; thus, they are the best candidates for rainwater harvesting. In this context, the correct evaluation of roof runoff quantity and quality is essential to effectively design rainwater harvesting systems. Despite this, many studies usually focus on the qualitative aspects in detriment of the quantitative aspects. Laboratory studies using rainfall simulators have been widely used to investigate rainfall-runoff processes. These studies enabled a detailed exploration and systematic replication of a large range of hydrologic conditions, such as rainfall spatial and temporal characteristics, providing for a fast way to obtain precise and consistent data that can be used to calibrate and validate numerical models. This study aims to evaluate the performance of a kinematic wave based numerical model in simulating runoff on sloping roofs, by comparing the numerical results with the ones obtained from laboratory rainfall simulations on a real-scale ceramic tile roof (Lusa tiles). For all studied slopes, simulated discharge hydrographs had a good adjust to observed ones. Coefficient of determination and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency values were close to 1.0. Particularly, peak discharges, times to peak and peak durations were very well simulated.

  9. Low Power Consumption Wireless Sensor Communication System Integrated with an Energy Harvesting Power Source

    OpenAIRE

    Vlad MARSIC; Alessandro GIULIANO; Meiling ZHU

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents the testing results of a wireless sensor communication system with low power consumption integrated with an energy harvesting power source. The experiments focus on the system’s capability to perform continuous monitoring and to wirelessly transmit the data acquired from the sensors to a user base station, for realization of completely battery-free wireless sensor system. Energy harvesting technologies together with system design optimization for power consumption minimiza...

  10. Motivational indictors predicting the engagement, frequency and adequacy of rainwater tank maintenance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mankad, Aditi; Greenhill, Murni

    2014-01-01

    Rainwater tank maintenance is a key social behavior in our changing environment, as tanks are being adopted worldwide to augment household water supplies and reduce urban water stress. The maintenance of rainwater tanks in urban areas is an important pro-environmental behavior that prevents public health issues arising from unhygienic tank use. This study examined motivational differences in maintenance behavior between householders with retrofitted and mandated (compulsory) rainwater tanks on their property (N = 1988). Results showed that retrofitted tank owners were more self-determined in their motivation than mandated owners. Amotivation and integrated regulation were both dominant predictors of engagement in tank maintenance, frequency and adequacy of tank maintenance activities. Those involved in more maintenance activity were likely driven to do so because of feelings of adherence to personal goals and values (e.g., as "sustainable" citizens), whereas individuals who experienced a lack of control and alienation from the activity were likely to view maintenance as meaningless. Thus, people with higher integrated regulation engaged in more tank maintenance activities, whereas more amotivated individuals engaged in less maintenance. As cities begin relying more on citizen self-sufficiency with respect to water and energy resources, issues relating to infrastructure maintenance and operation become paramount. Results show that motivation is important in the impetus to engage in a pro-environmental behavior as well as the frequency and accuracy with which that behavior is undertaken. Policy implications are further discussed.

  11. Methodology for choice of harvesting system for energy wood from early thinning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laitila, J

    2012-11-01

    The primary aim of the present study was to develop a methodology for estimating the procurement cost of forest chips from early thinnings. The most common logging systems and supply chains of forest chips used in early thinnings in Finland were compared at stand and regional level using productivity models and cost parameters obtained mainly from the substudies of this thesis. Furthermore, a decision tree was constructed for selecting harvesting method for energy wood originating from early thinnings. Forwarding productivity following mechanised cutting was significantly higher compared to productivity after motor-manual cutting. Mechanised cutting by the harvester enables felling and bunching of whole trees into large grapple loads close to strip roads, which facilitates increasing forwarding output and reducing costs. The two-machine system comprised of a harvester and a forwarder was the most cost-efficient logging system due to higher efficiency in cutting and especially in the forwarding phase. The cost of motor-manual whole-tree cutting was equal to mechanised whole-tree cutting, while forwarding cost after motor-manual cutting was almost double that after mechanised cutting. Using a forwarderbased harwarder resulted in the highest logging costs. However, with large tree volumes and removals its costs were almost equal to those of motor-manual-based logging. In order to achieve a breakthrough for the harwarder system, costs must be reduced by improving both machine technology and working techniques. Available volumes and procurement costs of fuel chips made of small-diameter trees were compared at regional level. The trees were harvested either by the multi-stem delimbed shortwood or whole-tree method and chipped by a truck-mounted drum chipper at the roadside. Based on the availability analysis, delimbing reduced regional cutting recovery by 42% compared to whole tree harvesting, when the minimum concentration of energy wood was set at 25 m{sup 3} ha{sup -1

  12. A portable high-efficiency electromagnetic energy harvesting system using supercapacitors for renewable energy applications in railroads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xingtian; Zhang, Zutao; Pan, Hongye; Salman, Waleed; Yuan, Yanping; Liu, Yujie

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: In this study, we develop a portable high-efficiency electromagnetic energy harvesting system with supercapacitors that converts the energy of track vibrations into electricity. The generated electricity is stored in the supercapacitors and used in remote areas for safety facilities or in standby power supplies for rail-side equipment. The proposed system consists of a mechanical transmission and a rectifier. Acting as the energy input and transmission, Gears and a rack amplify the small vibrations of the track, and one-way bearings enhance efficiency by transforming bidirectional motion to unidirectional rotation. Supercapacitors are used in the energy harvesting system for the first time. The supercapacitors permit the storage of energy from rapidly changing transient currents and a steady power supply for external loads. The proposed system is demonstrated through dynamic simulations, which show the rapid response of the system. An efficiency of 55.5% is demonstrated in bench tests, verifying that the proposed electromagnetic energy harvesting system is effective and practical in renewable energy applications for railroads. - Highlights: • A frequently ignored source of energy, railroad track vibrations, is harvested. • A novel conversion mechanism is designed to maximize efficiency. • Supercapacitors are included in the electromagnetic energy harvesting system. • A portable design is proposed for wider application. - Abstract: As the demand for alternative sources of energy has increased, harvesting abundant environmental energy such as vibration energy including track vibrations in railway systems has attracted greater attention. In this study, we develop a portable high-efficiency electromagnetic energy harvesting system with supercapacitors that converts the energy of track vibrations into electricity. The generated electricity is stored in the supercapacitors and used in remote areas for safety facilities or in standby power

  13. Development and Deployment of a Short Rotation Woody Crops Harvesting System Based on a Case New Holland Forage Harvester and SRC Woody Crop Header

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eisenbies, Mark [State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY (United States); Volk, Timothy [State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY (United States); Abrahamson, Lawrence [State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY (United States); Shuren, Richard [GreenWood Resources, Inc., Portland, OR (United States); Stanton, Brian [GreenWood Resources, Inc., Portland, OR (United States); Posselius, John [Case New Holland, New Holland, PA (United States); McArdle, Matt [Mesa Reduction Engineering and Processing, Inc., Auburn, NY (United States); Karapetyan, Samvel [State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY (United States); Patel, Aayushi [State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY (United States); Shi, Shun [State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY (United States); Zerpa, Jose [State Univ. of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), Syracuse, NY (United States)

    2014-10-03

    Biomass for biofuels, bioproducts and bioenergy can be sourced from forests, agricultural crops, various residue streams, and dedicated woody or herbaceous crops. Short rotation woody crops (SRWC), like willow and hybrid poplar, are perennial cropping systems that produce a number of environmental and economic development benefits in addition to being a renewable source of biomass that can be produced on marginal land. Both hybrid poplar and willow have several characteristics that make them an ideal feedstock for biofuels, bioproducts, and bioenergy; these include high yields that can be obtained in three to four years, ease of cultivar propagation from dormant cuttings, a broad underutilized genetic base, ease of breeding, ability to resprout after multiple harvests, and feedstock composition similar to other sources of woody biomass. Despite the range of benefits associated with SRWC systems, their deployment has been restricted by high costs, low market acceptance associated with inconsistent chip quality (see below for further explanation), and misperceptions about other feedstock characteristics (see below for further explanation). Harvesting of SRWC is the largest single cost factor (~1/3 of the final delivered cost) in the feedstock supply system. Harvesting is also the second largest input of primary fossil energy in the system after commercial N fertilizer, accounting for about one third of the input. Therefore, improving the efficiency of the harvesting system has the potential to reduce both cost and environmental impact. At the start of this project, we projected that improving the overall efficiency of the harvesting system by 25% would reduce the delivered cost of SRWC by approximately $0.50/MMBtu (or about $7.50/dry ton). This goal was exceeded over the duration of this project, as noted below.

  14. Natural Radium Isotopes in Particulate and Dissolved Phases of Seawater and Rainwater at the West Coast Peninsular Malaysia Caused by Coal-Fired Power Plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nik Azlin Nik Ariffin

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available The concentration levels of natural radium isotopes such as 226Ra and 228Ra were measured in the atmospheric samples including rainwater, total suspended solids (TSSrw and marine environment samples collected around the Kapar coal-fired power plant from September 2006 to February 2008. Activity concentration of 228Ra and 226Ra in rainwater showed the higher concentrations compared to the seawater. The mean activities of 226Ra and 228Ra in rainwater at Kapar were 20.45±4.50 mBq/L and 74.82±25.38 mBq/L, respectively. Meanwhile the levels in total suspended solids (TSSrw of rainwater showed 226.99±52.57 Bq/kg for 226Ra and 439.92±186.17 Bq/kg for 228Ra. The measurements of radium isotopes concentration in rainwater at coal-fired power plant in Kapar are found in relation to their sources and application as tracers in lower atmosphere. The mean value of pH in rainwater during this study is pH 5.51 slightly acidic as lowest value for the standard of clean rainwater. Radium in seawater also strong adsorption onto total suspended solids with the distribution coefficient, Kd values of 228Ra and 226Ra ranged from 0.054 × 104 to 163.90 × 104 L/g and between 0.49 × 104 to 191.54 × 104 L/g, respectively.

  15. Hybrid artificial photosynthetic systems comprising semiconductors as light harvesters and biomimetic complexes as molecular cocatalysts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Fuyu; Li, Can

    2013-11-19

    Solar fuel production through artificial photosynthesis may be a key to generating abundant and clean energy, thus addressing the high energy needs of the world's expanding population. As the crucial components of photosynthesis, the artificial photosynthetic system should be composed of a light harvester (e.g., semiconductor or molecular dye), a reduction cocatalyst (e.g., hydrogenase mimic, noble metal), and an oxidation cocatalyst (e.g., photosystem II mimic for oxygen evolution from water oxidation). Solar fuel production catalyzed by an artificial photosynthetic system starts from the absorption of sunlight by the light harvester, where charge separation takes place, followed by a charge transfer to the reduction and oxidation cocatalysts, where redox reaction processes occur. One of the most challenging problems is to develop an artificial photosynthetic solar fuel production system that is both highly efficient and stable. The assembly of cocatalysts on the semiconductor (light harvester) not only can facilitate the charge separation, but also can lower the activation energy or overpotential for the reactions. An efficient light harvester loaded with suitable reduction and oxidation cocatalysts is the key for high efficiency of artificial photosynthetic systems. In this Account, we describe our strategy of hybrid photocatalysts using semiconductors as light harvesters with biomimetic complexes as molecular cocatalysts to construct efficient and stable artificial photosynthetic systems. We chose semiconductor nanoparticles as light harvesters because of their broad spectral absorption and relatively robust properties compared with a natural photosynthesis system. Using biomimetic complexes as cocatalysts can significantly facilitate charge separation via fast charge transfer from the semiconductor to the molecular cocatalysts and also catalyze the chemical reactions of solar fuel production. The hybrid photocatalysts supply us with a platform to study the

  16. Comparison of growth and yield adaptability indicators of two maize ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    admin

    2017-01-04

    Jan 4, 2017 ... Zimbabwe as a modification of the traditional pit system which was started as a variation .... slope of ±5% w hich further increases run-off and soil drainage. Treatments and ..... Rainwater harvesting for sustainable agriculture ...

  17. Vacuum-packaged piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters: damping contributions and autonomy for a wireless sensor system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elfrink, R; Renaud, M; Kamel, T M; De Nooijer, C; Jambunathan, M; Goedbloed, M; Hohlfeld, D; Matova, S; Pop, V; Caballero, L; Van Schaijk, R

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes the characterization of thin-film MEMS vibration energy harvesters based on aluminum nitride as piezoelectric material. A record output power of 85 µW is measured. The parasitic-damping and the energy-harvesting performances of unpackaged and packaged devices are investigated. Vacuum and atmospheric pressure levels are considered for the packaged devices. When dealing with packaged devices, it is found that vacuum packaging is essential for maximizing the output power. Therefore, a wafer-scale vacuum package process is developed. The energy harvesters are used to power a small prototype (1 cm 3 volume) of a wireless autonomous sensor system. The average power consumption of the whole system is less than 10 µW, and it is continuously provided by the vibration energy harvester

  18. Periodic dynamics of delayed Lotka–Volterra competition systems with discontinuous harvesting policies via differential inclusions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai, Zuowei; Huang, Lihong

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • A more practical form of harvesting management policy (DHP) has been proposed. • We analyze the periodic dynamics of a class of discontinuous and delayed Lotka–Volterra competition systems. • We present a new method to obtain the existence of positive periodic solutions via differential inclusions. • The global convergence in measure of harvesting solution is discussed. -- Abstract: This paper considers a general class of delayed Lotka–Volterra competition systems where the harvesting policies are modeled by discontinuous functions or by non-Lipschitz functions. By means of differential inclusions theory, cone expansion and compression fixed point theorem of multi-valued maps and nonsmooth analysis theory with generalized Lyapunov approach, a series of useful criteria on existence, uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the positive periodic solution is established for the delayed Lotka–Volterra competition systems with discontinuous right-hand sides. Moreover, the global convergence in measure of harvesting solution is discussed. Our results improve and extend previous works on periodic dynamics of delayed Lotka–Volterra competition systems with not only continuous or even Lipschitz continuous but also discontinuous harvesting functions. Finally, we give some corollaries and numerical examples to show the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed criteria

  19. Characterization of rainwater chemical composition after a Southeast Asia haze event: insight of transboundary pollutant transport during the northeast monsoon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadzir, Mohd Shahrul Mohd; Lin, Chin Yik; Khan, Md Firoz; Latif, Mohd Talib; Dominick, Doreena; Hamid, Haris Hafizal Abdul; Mohamad, Noorlin; Maulud, Khairul Nizam Abdul; Wahab, Muhammad Ikram Abdul; Kamaludin, Nurul Farahana; Lazim, Mohamad Azwani Shah Mat

    2017-06-01

    Open biomass burning in Peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra, and parts of the Indochinese region is a major source of transboundary haze pollution in the Southeast Asia. To study the influence of haze on rainwater chemistry, a short-term investigation was carried out during the occurrence of a severe haze episode from March to April 2014. Rainwater samples were collected after a prolonged drought and analyzed for heavy metals and major ion concentrations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and ion chromatography (IC), respectively. The chemical composition and morphology of the solid particulates suspended in rainwater were examined using a scanning electron microscope coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The dataset was further interpreted using enrichment factors (EF), statistical analysis, and a back trajectory (BT) model to find the possible sources of the particulates and pollutants. The results show a drop in rainwater pH from near neutral (pH 6.54) to acidic (rainwater samples. Besides, the results of the SEM-EDS indicated that the zinc was possibly originated from anthropogenic activities which are consistent with the results obtained from EF. The BT model showed that pollutants transported from the mainland of Indo-China and the marine region in the South China Sea were responsible for the high pollution event in the study area. These findings can be useful in identifying contributions of pollutants from single or multiple sources in rainwater samples during haze episodes.

  20. Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting Sources

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Action NECHIBVUTE

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This radio frequency (RF energy harvesting is an emerging technology and research area that promises to produce energy to run low-power wireless devices. The great interest that has recently been paid to RF harvesting is predominantly driven by the great progress in both wireless communication systems and broadcasting technologies that have availed a lot of freely propagating ambient RF energy. The principle aim of an RF energy harvesting system is to convert the received ambient RF energy into usable DC power. This paper presents a state of the art concise review of RF energy harvesting sources for low power applications, and also discusses open research questions and future research directions on ambient RF energy harvesting.

  1. The experimental validation of a new energy harvesting system based on the wake galloping phenomenon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Hyung-Jo; Lee, Seung-Woo

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, a new energy harvesting system based on wind energy is investigated. To this end, the characteristics and mechanisms of various aerodynamic instability phenomena are first examined and the most appropriate one (i.e. wake galloping) is selected. Then, a wind tunnel test is carried out in order to understand the occurrence conditions of the wake galloping phenomenon more clearly. Based on the test results, a prototype electromagnetic energy harvesting device is designed and manufactured. The effectiveness of the proposed energy harvesting system is extensively examined via a series of wind tunnel tests with the prototype device. Test results show that electricity of about 370 mW can be generated under a wind speed of 4.5 m s −1 by the proposed energy harvesting device. The generated power can easily be increased by simply increasing the number of electromagnetic parts in a vibrating structure. Also, the possibility of civil engineering applications is discussed. It is concluded from the test results and discussion that the proposed device is an efficient, economic and reliable energy harvesting system and could be applied to civil engineering structures

  2. A Self-Biased Active Voltage Doubler for Energy Harvesting Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Tayyab, Umais; Alzaher, Hussain A.

    2017-01-01

    An active voltage doubler utilizing a single supply op-amp for energy harvesting system is presented. The proposed doubler is used for rectification process to achieve both acceptably high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and large rectified DC

  3. Design of a wildlife avoidance planning system for autonomous harvesting operations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bochtis, Dionysis D.; Grøn Sørensen, Claus; Green, Ole

    2014-01-01

    Harvesting and mowing operations are among the main potential stressors affecting wildlife within agricultural landscapes, leading to large animal losses. A number of studies have been conducted on harvesting practices to address the problem of wildlife mortality, providing a number of management...... actions or field area coverage strategies. Nevertheless, these are general rules limited to simple-shaped fields, and which are not applicable to more complex operational situations. The objectives of the present study were to design a system capable of deriving a wildlife avoidance driving pattern...

  4. An out-of-plane rotational energy harvesting system for low frequency environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Febbo, M.; Machado, S.P.; Gatti, C.D.; Ramirez, J.M.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • An alternative to cantilever beam-type systems for energy harvesting is proposed. • The device generates energy in a low frequency rotational environment. • It comprises two beams, a spring and two heavy masses joined by the spring. • By varying the flexibility of one beam, the device increments output DC power. • The generated DC power suffices to feed low power wireless transmitters. - Abstract: We present a novel design of a rotational power scavenging system as an alternative to cantilever beams attached to a hub. The device is meant to provide energy to wireless autonomous monitoring systems in low frequency environments such as wind turbines of 30 kW with rotational speeds of between 50 and 150 rpm. These characteristics define the bandwidth of the rotational energy harvesting system (REH) and its physical dimensions. A versatile geometric configuration with two elastic beams and two heavy masses joined by a spring is proposed. A piezoelectric sheet is mounted on the primary beam while the REH is placed on a rotating hub with the gravitational force acting as a periodic source. This kind of double-beam system offers the possibility to modify the vibration characteristics of the harvester for achieving high power density. An analytical framework using the Lagrangian formulation is derived to describe the motion of the system and the voltage output as a function of rotation speed. Several sets of experiments were performed to characterize the system and to validate the assumed hypothesis. In the experimental setup, a wireless data acquisition system based on Arduino technology was implemented to avoid slip-ring mechanisms. The results show very good agreement between the theoretical and experimental tests. Moreover, the output power of a simple harvesting circuit, which serves as an energy storage device, yields values ranging 26–105 μW over the whole frequency range. This allows us to use the proposed device for the designed purpose

  5. Modeling and simulating two cut-to-length harvesting systems in central Appalachian hardwoods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jingxin Wang; Chris B. LeDoux; Yaoxiang Li

    2003-01-01

    The production rates and costs of two cut-to-length harvesting systems was simulated using a modular ground-based simulation model and stand yield data from fully stocked, second growth even aged central Appalachian hardwood forests. The two harvesters simulated were a modified John Deere 988 tracked excavator with a model RP 1600 single grip sawhead and an excavator...

  6. Powering-up Wireless Sensor Nodes Utilizing Rechargeable Batteries and an Electromagnetic Vibration Energy Harvesting System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salar Chamanian

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a wireless sensor node (WSN system where an electromagnetic (EM energy harvester is utilized for charging its rechargeable batteries while the system is operational. The capability and the performance of an in-house low-frequency EM energy harvester for charging rechargeable NiMH batteries were experimentally verified in comparison to a regular battery charger. Furthermore, the power consumption of MicaZ motes, used as the WSN, was evaluated in detail for different operation conditions. The battery voltage and current were experimentally monitored during the operation of the MicaZ sensor node equipped with the EM vibration energy harvester. A compact (24.5 cm3 in-house EM energy harvester provides approximately 65 µA charging current to the batteries when excited by 0.4 g acceleration at 7.4 Hz. It has been shown that the current demand of the MicaZ mote can be compensated for by the energy harvester for a specific low-power operation scenario, with more than a 10-fold increase in the battery lifetime. The presented results demonstrate the autonomous operation of the WSN, with the utilization of a vibration-based energy harvester.

  7. A compact human-powered energy harvesting system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, Yuan; McEachern, Kelly M; Arnold, David P

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a fully functional, self-sufficient body-worn energy harvesting system for passively capturing energy from human motion, with the long-term vision of supplying power to portable, wearable, or even implanted electronic devices. The system requires no external power supplies and can bootstrap from zero-state-of-charge to generate electrical energy from walking, jogging and cycling; convert the induced ac voltage to a dc voltage; and then boost and regulate the dc voltage to charge a Li-ion-polymer battery. Tested under normal human activities (walking, jogging, cycling) when worn on different parts of the body, the 70 cm 3 system is shown to charge a 3.7 V rechargeable battery at charge rates ranging from 33 μW to 234 μW

  8. Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project : Rainwater Wildlife Area Final Management Plan.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Childs, Allen

    2002-03-01

    This Draft Management Plan has been developed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to document how the Rainwater Wildlife Area (formerly known as the Rainwater Ranch) will be managed. The plan has been developed under a standardized planning process developed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for Columbia River Basin Wildlife Mitigation Projects (See Appendix A and Guiding Policies Section below). The plan outlines the framework for managing the project area, provides an assessment of existing conditions and key resource issues, and presents an array of habitat management and enhancement strategies. The plan culminates into a 5-Year Action Plan that will focus our management actions and prioritize funding during the Fiscal 2001-2005 planning period. This plan is a product of nearly two years of field studies and research, public scoping, and coordination with the Rainwater Advisory Committee. The committee consists of representatives from tribal government, state agencies, local government, public organizations, and members of the public. The plan is organized into several sections with Chapter 1 providing introductory information such as project location, purpose and need, project goals and objectives, common elements and assumptions, coordination efforts and public scoping, and historical information about the project area. Key issues are presented in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 discusses existing resource conditions within the wildlife area. Chapter 4 provides a detailed presentation on management activities and Chapter 5 outlines a monitoring and evaluation plan for the project that will help assess whether the project is meeting the intended purpose and need and the goals and objectives. Chapter 6 displays the action plan and provides a prioritized list of actions with associated budget for the next five year period. Successive chapters contain appendices, references, definitions, and a glossary.

  9. Origin of rainwater acidity near the Los Azufres geothermal field, Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verma, M.P.; Arellano, V.; Quijano, J.L.; Johnson, C.; Gerardo, J.Y.

    2000-01-01

    The chemical and isotopic compositions of rainwater were monitored at Los Azufres geothermal field (88 MWe) and its surroundings during May-September 1995, which is the rainy season. Samples were collected from eight sites: three within the field, three in its surroundings and two sufficiently far from the field such that they have no geothermal input. The concentrations of Cl - , SO 4 2- and NO 3 - were measured in about 350 samples and found to be generally - , SO 4 2- and delta 34 S also suggests an industrial source for the rainwater sulfur. The determination of pH was found to be necessary, but is not sufficient to characterize rainwater acidity. The Gran titration method was used to determine alkalinity with respect to equivalence point of H 2 CO 3 * . Values of alkalinity were found to range from 10 -4 to 10 -6 eq/L, and were negative only for some samples from Vivero and Guadalajara. Thus, SO 4 2- and NO 3 - are in general not in acidic form (i.e. balanced by Na + Ca 2+ etc. rather than H + ). Sulfate delta 34 S values were about -1.5 per mille in Los Azufres and its surroundings, and in Morelia, but differed from the value of -0.2 per mille for Guadalajara. The delta 34 S values for H 2 S from the Los Azufres geothermal wells are in the range -3.4 to 0.0 per mille. Thedelta 34 S ranges for the natural and anthropogenic sources for environmental sulfur overlap, making it difficult to differentiate between the contribution of different sources. However, a similarity of values of delta 34 S at Los Azufres and Morelia (85km distant) suggest a regional source of sulfate that is not associated with geothermal emissions from Los Azufres. (Author)

  10. Science for development: a housing case study

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Van Wyk, Llewellyn V

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available such as South Africa. The identified technologies for municipal services include re-designing the roads; re-using local soils rather than importing soils for the road bases and sub-bases; rainwater harvesting; sustainable urban drainage systems; waste and soil...

  11. THE INFLUENCE THE EXTENSIVE GREEN ROOFS ON THE OUTFLOW RAINWATER TO THE SEWAGE SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maciej Mrowiec

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available In times of rapid urbanization and climate change has drawn more attention to stormwater runoff to sewer systems. The phenomenon of flooding in urban areas have become increasingly common as a result of heavy rains. Sewage systems in such a short time are not able to accept such a large amount of rainwater flowing on the site, which we experience the phenomenon of rainfall flowing down the street in excessive amounts. The problem of such phenomena can be solved by the development of green roof technology. Even in its simplest form that extensive green roof is able to delay outflow, and store in its entirety falling falls on the area. Everything depends on the layers and the size of the roof. The research study presented at two mini green roof, an area of 1.44 m2. Both cases have different layers. One of them has a layer of non-woven filter layer, the substrate and vegetation. The second station is built of layers of drainage, filter layer, a layer of substrate and vegetation. For experimental purposes a rain shower were used for testing, which allows to calibrate the right amount of water at a specified time. In the research of precipitation 10, 15 and 20-minute tested. On the bench number 1 a reduction in the range of 48.9 to 97.5% was achieved. The second experiment stand showed a higher retention capacity ranged from 74.5 to 94.7%. We concluded that the use of extensive green roofs in cities can help reduce storm water runoff from impervious surfaces.

  12. Approaches to automated protein crystal harvesting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deller, Marc C., E-mail: mdeller@scripps.edu; Rupp, Bernhard, E-mail: mdeller@scripps.edu

    2014-01-28

    Approaches to automated and robot-assisted harvesting of protein crystals are critically reviewed. While no true turn-key solutions for automation of protein crystal harvesting are currently available, systems incorporating advanced robotics and micro-electromechanical systems represent exciting developments with the potential to revolutionize the way in which protein crystals are harvested.

  13. Instrumental neutron activation analysis of dry atmospheric fall-out and rain-water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schutyser, P.; Maenhaut, W.; Dams, R.

    1978-01-01

    An automated precipitation sampler and an instrumental neutron activation analysis (i.n.a.a.) method for the determination of some major and trace elements in dry atmospheric fall-out and rain-water are presented. The sampler features a rain detector which makes separate collections of dry atmospheric fall-out and rain-water possible. The sampler is equipped with u.v. lamps in order to avoid algal growth during extended collection periods. After collection, the samples are separated into water-soluble and insoluble fractions. The soluble fraction is preconcentrated before analysis by freeze-drying. The i.n.a.a. method involves the measurement of both short- and long-lived radioactivities so that a total of 35 elements can be determined. The possibility of losses during freeze-drying and the accuracy of the i.n.a.a. method were investigated for 7 elements by analysis of a soluble fraction with an independent method, viz. inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. (Auth.)

  14. Characterization of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in rainwater using fluorescence spectrophotometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salve, P R; Lohkare, H; Gobre, T; Bodhe, G; Krupadam, R J; Ramteke, D S; Wate, S R

    2012-02-01

    The fluorescence excitation-emission matrix of Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) samples from rainwater collected at Rameswaram, Tamilnadu, India are analysed. Total five peaks were observed for humic/marine and protein likes substances respectively. The peak A and C intensities varies form 1.98 ± 0.28 and 0.97 ± 0.11 QSU respectively represents humic like substances. The peak B and T intensities varies from 3.94 ± 0.75 and 7.42 ± 1.43 QSU showed association of protein like substances whereas peak M intensities varies from 1.92 ± 0.37 QSU indicates marine contribution. Among the fluorophores, the following sequence were observed as T > B > A > M > C which indicates dominance of Tryptophan like substances in rainwater. The average peak T/C ratios was observed as 7.88 ± 2.2 indicates microbial contamination by Tryptophan-like substances with the high biological activity and low volatility.

  15. Accession of non-nitrogenous ions dissolved in rainwater to soils in Victoria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hutton, J T; Leslie, T I

    1958-01-01

    Analyses of rainwater samples from 24 stations in Victoria have shown that with increasing distance from the coast there is a sharp decrease in the influence of the ocean on the nature of the dissolved ions. About 150 miles inland the ionic ratio of sodium to potassium falls below 10, that of sodium to chloride exceeds unity, and calcium becomes the dominant cation. This is considered to reflect the influence of terrestrial material such as the dry surface of soils. As soils also contain sodium and chloride ions, the common assumption that all the chloride in the rain is derived from the ocean is unjustified, hence calculations of the net accession of salts are unwarranted. In southern Australia, sulphate ions are present in much smaller amounts than in other countries and this may contribute to the observed deficiencies of sulphur in plant nutrition. Details are given of the method of collecting the rainwater and of its analysis.

  16. Potential for Potable Water Savings in Buildings by Using Stormwater Harvested from Porous Pavements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucas Niehuns Antunes

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available There is a growing concern about the scarcity of water resources due to population growth and increased demand for potable water. Thus, the rational use of water has become necessary for the conservation of such resources. The objective of this study is to estimate the potential for potable water savings in buildings of different sectors—residential, public and commercial—in the city of Florianópolis, southern Brazil, by using stormwater harvested from porous pavements. Models were constructed to assess infiltration and rainwater quality; samples of stormwater from a local road were collected to evaluate its quality; and computer simulation was performed to assess the potential for potable water savings and rainwater tank sizing. Draining asphalt concrete slabs with two types of modifiers were used, i.e., tire rubber and SBS polymer—styrene-butadiene-styrene. The Netuno computer programme was used to simulate the potential for potable water savings considering the use of rainwater for non-potable uses such as flushing toilets and urinals, cleaning external areas, and garden watering. Average stormwater infiltration was 85.4%. It was observed that stormwater is not completely pure. From the models, the pH was 5.4 and the concentrations of ammonia, phosphorus, nitrite, and dissolved oxygen were 0.41, 0.14, 0.002, and 9.0 mg/L, respectively. The results for the stormwater runoff of a paved road were 0.23, 0.11, 0.12, 0.08, 1.41, 2.11, 0.02, and 9.0 mg/L for the parameters aluminium, ammonia, copper, chromium, iron, phosphorus, nitrite, and dissolved oxygen, respectively; and the pH was 6.7. In the city of Florianópolis, which has a surface area of paved roads of approximately 11,044,216 m², the potential for potable water savings ranged from 1.2% to 19.4% in the residential sector, 2.1% to 75.7% in the public sector and 6.5% to 70.0% in the commercial sector.

  17. Design of a hybrid power system based on solar cell and vibration energy harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Bin; Li, Mingxue; Zhong, Shaoxuan; He, Zhichao; Zhang, Yufeng

    2018-03-01

    Power source has become a serious restriction of wireless sensor network. High efficiency, self-energized and long-life renewable source is the optimum solution for unmanned sensor network applications. However, single renewable power source can be easily affected by ambient environment, which influences stability of the system. In this work, a hybrid power system consists of a solar panel, a vibration energy harvester and a lithium battery is demonstrated. The system is able to harvest multiple types of ambient energy, which extends its applicability and feasibility. Experiments have been conducted to verify performance of the system.

  18. Infiltration and planting pits for improved water management and maize yield in semi-arid Zimbabwe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nyakudya, I.W.; Stroosnijder, L.; Nyagumbo, I.

    2014-01-01

    Realising that rainwater harvesting (RWH) improves crop productivity, smallholder farmers in semi-arid Zimbabwe modified contour ridges traditionally used for rainwater management by digging infiltration pits inside contour ridge channels in order to retain more water in crop fields. However,

  19. Bundling harvester; Harvennuspuun automaattisen nippukorjausharvesterin kehittaeminen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koponen, K [Eko-Log Oy, Kuopio (Finland)

    1997-12-01

    The starting point of the project was to design and construct, by taking the silvicultural point of view into account, a harvesting and processing system especially for energy-wood, containing manually driven bundling harvester, automating of the harvester, and automated loading. The equipment forms an ideal method for entrepreneur`s-line harvesting. The target is to apply the system also for owner`s-line harvesting. The profitability of the system promotes the utilisation of the system in both cases. The objectives of the project were: to construct a test equipment and prototypes for all the project stages, to carry out terrain and strain tests in order to examine the usability and durability, as well as the capacity of the machine, to test the applicability of the Eko-Log system in simultaneous harvesting of energy and pulp woods, and to start the marketing and manufacturing of the products. The basic problems of the construction of the bundling harvester have been solved using terrain-tests. The prototype machine has been shown to be operable. Loading of the bundles to form sufficiently economically transportable loads has been studied, and simultaneously, the branch-biomass has been tried to be utilised without loosing the profitability of transportation. The results have been promising, and will promote the profitable utilisation of wood-energy. (orig.)

  20. PS2004 Light-harvesting Systems Workshop

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blankenship, Robert E.

    2005-01-01

    This special issue of the international scientific research journal Photosynthesis Research consists of 25 original peer-reviewed contributions from participants in the PS 2004 Lisht-Harvesting Systems Workshop. This workshop was held from 26-29, 2004 at Hotel Le Chantecler, Sainte-Adele, Quebec, Canada. The workshop was a satellite meeting of the XIII International Congress on Photosynthesis held August 29-September 3, 2004 in Montreal, Canada. The workshope dealt with all types of photosynthetic antenna systems and types of organisms, including anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae and higher plants, as well as in vitro studies of isolated pigments. This collection of papers is a good representation of the highly interdisciplinary nature of modern research on photosynthetic antenna complexes, utilizing techniques of advanced spectroscopy, biochemistry, molecular biology, synthetic chemistry and structural determination to understand these diverse and elegant molecular complexes.

  1. Optimal Design of Dual-Hop VLC/RF Communication System With Energy Harvesting

    KAUST Repository

    Rakia, Tamer; Yang, Hong Chuan; Gebali, Fayez; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2016-01-01

    In this letter, we consider a dual-hop heterogeneous visible light communication (VLC)/radio frequency (RF) communication system to extend the coverage of VLC systems. Besides detecting the information over VLC link, the relay is able to harvest

  2. Ultrasound acoustic wave energy transfer and harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahab, Shima; Leadenham, Stephen; Guillot, François; Sabra, Karim; Erturk, Alper

    2014-04-01

    This paper investigates low-power electricity generation from ultrasound acoustic wave energy transfer combined with piezoelectric energy harvesting for wireless applications ranging from medical implants to naval sensor systems. The focus is placed on an underwater system that consists of a pulsating source for spherical wave generation and a harvester connected to an external resistive load for quantifying the electrical power output. An analytical electro-acoustic model is developed to relate the source strength to the electrical power output of the harvester located at a specific distance from the source. The model couples the energy harvester dynamics (piezoelectric device and electrical load) with the source strength through the acoustic-structure interaction at the harvester-fluid interface. Case studies are given for a detailed understanding of the coupled system dynamics under various conditions. Specifically the relationship between the electrical power output and system parameters, such as the distance of the harvester from the source, dimensions of the harvester, level of source strength, and electrical load resistance are explored. Sensitivity of the electrical power output to the excitation frequency in the neighborhood of the harvester's underwater resonance frequency is also reported.

  3. Dielectric loss against piezoelectric power harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Junrui; Shu-Hung Chung, Henry; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2014-09-01

    Piezoelectricity is one of the most popular electromechanical transduction mechanisms for constructing kinetic energy harvesting systems. When a standard energy harvesting (SEH) interface circuit, i.e., bridge rectifier plus filter capacitor, is utilized for collecting piezoelectric power, the previous literature showed that the power conversion can be well predicted without much consideration for the effect of dielectric loss. Yet, as the conversion power gets higher by adopting power-boosting interface circuits, such as synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI), the neglect of dielectric loss might give rise to deviation in harvested power estimation. Given the continuous progress on power-boosting interface circuits, the role of dielectric loss in practical piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) systems should receive attention with better evaluation. Based on the integrated equivalent impedance network model, this fast track communication provides a comprehensive study on the susceptibility of harvested power in PEH systems under different conditions. It shows that, dielectric loss always counteracts piezoelectric power harvesting by causing charge leakage across piezoelectric capacitance. In particular, taking corresponding ideal lossless cases as references, the counteractive effect might be aggravated under one of the five conditions: larger dielectric loss tangent, lower vibration frequency, further away from resonance, weaker electromechanical coupling, or using power-boosting interface circuit. These relationships are valuable for the study of PEH systems, as they not only help explain the role of dielectric loss in piezoelectric power harvesting, but also add complementary insights for material, structure, excitation, and circuit considerations towards holistic evaluation and design for practical PEH systems.

  4. Dielectric loss against piezoelectric power harvesting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, Junrui; Shu-Hung Chung, Henry; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2014-01-01

    Piezoelectricity is one of the most popular electromechanical transduction mechanisms for constructing kinetic energy harvesting systems. When a standard energy harvesting (SEH) interface circuit, i.e., bridge rectifier plus filter capacitor, is utilized for collecting piezoelectric power, the previous literature showed that the power conversion can be well predicted without much consideration for the effect of dielectric loss. Yet, as the conversion power gets higher by adopting power-boosting interface circuits, such as synchronized switch harvesting on inductor (SSHI), the neglect of dielectric loss might give rise to deviation in harvested power estimation. Given the continuous progress on power-boosting interface circuits, the role of dielectric loss in practical piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) systems should receive attention with better evaluation. Based on the integrated equivalent impedance network model, this fast track communication provides a comprehensive study on the susceptibility of harvested power in PEH systems under different conditions. It shows that, dielectric loss always counteracts piezoelectric power harvesting by causing charge leakage across piezoelectric capacitance. In particular, taking corresponding ideal lossless cases as references, the counteractive effect might be aggravated under one of the five conditions: larger dielectric loss tangent, lower vibration frequency, further away from resonance, weaker electromechanical coupling, or using power-boosting interface circuit. These relationships are valuable for the study of PEH systems, as they not only help explain the role of dielectric loss in piezoelectric power harvesting, but also add complementary insights for material, structure, excitation, and circuit considerations towards holistic evaluation and design for practical PEH systems. (fast track communications)

  5. An expert system for estimating production rates and costs for hardwood group-selection harvests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chris B. LeDoux; B. Gopalakrishnan; R. S. Pabba

    2003-01-01

    As forest managers shift their focus from stands to entire ecosystems alternative harvesting methods such as group selection are being used increasingly. Results of several field time and motion studies and simulation runs were incorporated into an expert system for estimating production rates and costs associated with harvests of group-selection units of various size...

  6. Spectral-Efficiency - Illumination Pareto Front for Energy Harvesting Enabled VLC System

    KAUST Repository

    Abdelhady, Amr Mohamed Abdelaziz

    2017-12-13

    The continuous improvement in optical energy harvesting devices motivates visible light communication (VLC) system developers to utilize such available free energy sources. An outdoor VLC system is considered where an optical base station sends data to multiple users that are capable of harvesting the optical energy. The proposed VLC system serves multiple users using time division multiple access (TDMA) with unequal time and power allocation, which are allocated to improve the system performance. The adopted optical system provides users with illumination and data communication services. The outdoor optical design objective is to maximize the illumination, while the communication design objective is to maximize the spectral efficiency (SE). The design objectives are shown to be conflicting, therefore, a multiobjective optimization problem is formulated to obtain the Pareto front performance curve for the proposed system. To this end, the marginal optimization problems are solved first using low complexity algorithms. Then, based on the proposed algorithms, a low complexity algorithm is developed to obtain an inner bound of the Pareto front for the illumination-SE tradeoff. The inner bound for the Pareto-front is shown to be close to the optimal Pareto-frontier via several simulation scenarios for different system parameters.

  7. The rain water management model on an appropriate hilly area to fulfil the needs of cocoa farm during dry season

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasbi, M.; Darma, R.; Yamin, M.; Nurdin, M.; Rizal, M.

    2018-05-01

    Cocoa is an important commodity because 90% farmers involved, easily marketed, and potentially harvested along the year. However, cocoa productivity tended to decrease by an average of only 300 kg hectare-1 year-1 or away from the potential productivity of two tons. Water management was an alternative method to increase its productivity by harvesting rainwater on the hilly cocoa farm area and distributing the water based on the gravity law. The research objective was to describes how to manage rainwater at the hilly cocoa farm area, so that the water needs of cocoa farm were met during the dry season. The important implication of the management was the water availability that supports the cocoa cultivation during the year. This research used qualitative method with descriptive approach to explain the appropriate technical specification of infrastructure to support the rainwater management. This research generated several mathematical formulas to support rainwater management infrastructure. The implementation of an appropriate rainwater utilization management for cocoa farm will ensuring the availability of water during dry season, so the cocoa farm allowed to produce cacao fruit during the year.

  8. A Wireless Phone Charging System using Radio Frequency Energy Harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Abdulkadir

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A wireless phone charging system using Radio Frequency (RF energy harvesting is presented in this paper. Battery size and extension of charge duration offer great challenge in mobile devices and the fact that one has to always connect it to the mains for charging. The research seeks to employ the RF received by its antenna to recharge mobile end devices. This study determined the suitable frequency for power transmission and chooses an efficient microstrip patch antenna which has a gain of 3.762dB, directivity of 5.906dB, and a power density of 7.358dBW/m2. A 7stage voltage doubler was employed to harvest the 3.75V dc from the RF which is suitable to charge a mobile phone. The antenna was designed and simulated using Computer Simulation Technology (CST studio suite while the RF to DC converter was design and simulated using Intelligent Schematic Input System (ISIS Proteus.

  9. Investigation on the pollution of road rainwater runoff in Shijiazhuang City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tongjun GUAN

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available To protect groundwater and urban ecological environment, much more sponge cities have been built in China. The sponge road is an important part of a sponge city. In recent years, Shijiazhuang Municipal Design Institute proposes a new sponge road structure, namely planting soil and crushed stone green belt, and it has been extensively used in Shijiazhuang City. In the design of the road structure, it is a key issue whether the infiltration rainwater quality pollutes the groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the pollution of road rainwater runoff in Shijiazhuang City for the design of sponge road and the construction of sponge city. To obtain the characteristics of rainwater runoff pollution in Shijiazhuang City, four investigation points are chosen at the intersection of the Nanerhuan Road and Yuxiang Street, the east gate of Hebei University of Science and Technology, the site under the Xierhuan Road and Zhongshan Road overpass, and the catch-basin along the roadside in Shijiazhuang City. The investigating points are located in the main road of Shijiazhuang urban area, which covers Shijiazhuang City, and can represent the pollution characteristics of road runoff in Shijiazhuang City. Six rainfalls are collected from March to June in 2017. The rainfall on 3, May is viewed as typical middle and light one which is studied in this paper. The concentration of COD, TP, TN, NH3-N and SS in road runoff is tested by potassium dichromate method, ammonium molybdate spectrophotometry, potassium persulfate digestion-UV spectrophotometry and Nessler’s reagent spectrophotometry and filter paper filtration, respectively. The concentrations of Zn ions and Pb ions are tested by inductively coupled plasma method. According to the test results, the concentration evolutions of COD, TP, TN, NH3-N, SS, Zn and Pb ion in runoff during rainfall are studied. The results show that the contaminant concentration approximately decreases during the rainfall

  10. Compressed Air Energy Storage System Control and Performance Assessment Using Energy Harvested Index

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanif SedighNejad

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a new concept for control and performance assessment of compressed air energy storage (CAES systems in a hybrid energy system is introduced. The proposed criterion, based on the concept of energy harvest index (HEI, measures the capability of a storage system to capture renewable energy. The overall efficiency of the CAES system and optimum control and design from the technical and economic point of view is presented. A possible application of this idea is an isolated community with significant wind energy resource. A case study reveals the usefulness of the proposed criterion in design, control and implementation of a small CAES system in a hybrid power system (HPM for an isolated community. Energy harvested index and its effectiveness in increasing the wind penetration rate in the total energy production is discussed.

  11. The Brookside Farm Wetland Ecosystem Treatment (WET System: A Low-Energy Methodology for Sewage Purification, Biomass Production (Yield, Flood Resilience and Biodiversity Enhancement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julian C. Abrahams

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Wastewater from domestic developments, farms and agro-industrial processing can be sources of pollution in the environment; current wastewater management methods are usually machine-based, and thus energy consuming. When Permaculture Principles are used in the creation of water purification and harvesting systems, there can be multiple environmental and economic benefits. In the context of energy descent, it may be considered desirable to treat wastewater using minimal energy. The constructed wetland design presented here is a low-entropy system in which wastewater is harvested and transformed into lush and productive wetland, eliminating the requirement for non-renewable energy in water purification, and also maximising benefits: biodiversity, flood resilience and yield. In permaculture design, the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous compounds in sewage are viewed as valuable nutrients, resources to be harvested by a constructed wetland ecosystem and converted into useful yield. Similarly, rainwater runoff is not viewed as a problem which can cause flooding, but as a potential resource to be harvested to provide a yield. This paper presents a case study, with both water quality and productivity data, from Brookside Farm UK, where the use of Permaculture Design Principles has created a combined wastewater management and purification system, accepting all site water.

  12. Design and parametric study on energy harvesting from bridge vibration using tuned dual-mass damper systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeya, Kouichi; Sasaki, Eiichi; Kobayashi, Yusuke

    2016-01-01

    A bridge vibration energy harvester has been proposed in this paper using a tuned dual-mass damper system, named hereafter Tuned Mass Generator (TMG). A linear electromagnetic transducer has been applied to harvest and make use of the unused reserve of energy the aforementioned damper system absorbs. The benefits of using dual-mass systems over single-mass systems for power generation have been clarified according to the theory of vibrations. TMG parameters have been determined considering multi-domain parameters, and TMG has been tuned using a newly proposed parameter design method. Theoretical analysis results have shown that for effective energy harvesting, it is essential that TMG has robustness against uncertainties in bridge vibrations and tuning errors, and the proposed parameter design method for TMG has demonstrated this feature.

  13. Design and Simulation of Two Robotic Systems for Automatic Artichoke Harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Domenico Longo

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The target of this research project was a feasibility study for the development of a robot for automatic or semi-automatic artichoke harvesting. During this project, different solutions for the mechanical parts of the machine, its control system and the harvesting tools were investigated. Moreover, in cooperation with the department DISPA of University of Catania, different field structures with different kinds of artichoke cultivars were studied and tested. The results of this research could improve artichoke production for preserves industries. As a first step, an investigation on existing machines has been done. From this research, it has been shown that very few machines exist for this purpose. Based also on previous experiences, some proposals for different robotic systems have been done, while the mobile platform itself was developed within another research project. At the current stage, several different configurations of machines and harvesting end-effectors have been designed and simulated using a 3D CAD environment interfaced with Matlab®. Moreover, as support for one of the proposed machines, an artificial vision algorithm has been developed in order to locate the artichokes on the plant, with respect to the robot, using images taken with a standard webcam.

  14. Determination of soluble ultra-trace metals and metalloids in rainwater and atmospheric deposition fluxes: a 2-year survey and assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoya-Mayor, R; Fernández-Espinosa, A J; Seijo-Delgado, I; Ternero-Rodríguez, M

    2013-08-01

    The present work investigates the relationships between composition of rainwater and dry deposition fluxes by trace metals and metalloids. A modification in automatic "wet-only" and "dry-only" samplers was applied, which allowed the collection and conservation of samples separately. ICP-MS technique was used for the determination of analytes in samples. Concentrations of soluble elements in rainwater were measured directly in filtered samples. A sequential acid treatment with nitric, hydrofluoric and finally perchloric acids was used to measure the total contents of metals and metalloids in coarse particles. Variation between periods of heavy and light rains was assessed. Almost all of the metals and metalloids - B, Tl, Th, U, Al, Cs, Be, Ti and others - studied in dry deposition showed important decreases in concentrations (40-92%) during periods of heavy rainfall. Most of these metals and metalloids - As, Cr, Co, Ni - presented their highest levels (53-90%) in heavy rainfall periods in rainwater samples. Sources were identified in both types of samples collected using a new chemometric tool (SPCA). Urban traffic, surrounding contaminated soils and local anthropogenic sources were identified for rainwater samples. Natural and contaminated soils and general anthropogenic emissions were the sources identified for dry deposition fluxes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Economic Evaluation and Overall Assessment of Water Harvesting Ponds based on Scorecard System: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabral, P. P.; Kumar, Santosh; Kiku, Karmchand

    2017-12-01

    In the present study, an attempt has been made to carry out an economic analysis of three (03) water harvesting ponds situated in the district of Lakhimpur (Assam), India. Economic analysis was carried out using three important economic criteria, namely Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR), Net Present Worth (NPW) and the Internal Rate of Returns (IRR). Ponds of the study area were compared with adopting score card system. All the water harvesting ponds were found economically viable as the BCR was more than unity at 12% discount rate. Net present worth was the highest for the water harvesting pond of Radhapukheri Fish Seed Farm, Department of Fisheries, Govt. of Assam, Narayanpur and the least for water harvesting pond of St. Xavier's School, Harmoti. The IRR was found to be the highest (60%) for water harvesting ponds of St. Xavier's School, Harmoti followed by water harvesting pond of a farmer of Narayanpur (48%) and water harvesting pond of Radhapukheri Fish Seed Farm (19.2%).Water harvesting pond of Radhapukheri Fish Seed Farm, Narayanpur scored the highest score (84 marks) followed by water harvesting pond of a farmer of Narayanpur (80 marks) and St. Xavier's school, Harmoti (61 marks).

  16. Water SA

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effects of a polymeric organic coagulant for industrial mineral oil wastewater treatment ... on the performance of anaerobic treatment systems of municipal wastewater ... Comparison of the chemical quality of rainwater harvested from roof and ... pore water and surface sediment from uMngeni River, KwaZulu-Natal, South ...

  17. Development and analysis of SRIC harvesting systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stokes, B.J. [Southern Forest Experiment Station, Auburn, AL (United States); Hartsough, B.R. [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

    1993-12-31

    This paper reviews several machine combinations for harvesting short-rotation, intensive-culture (SRIC) plantations. Productivity and cost information for individual machines was obtained from published sources. Three felling and skidding systems were analyzed for two stands, a 7.6-cm (3-in) average d.b.h. sycamore and a 15.2-cm (6-in) average d.b.h. eucalyptus. The analyses assumed that whole trees were chipped at roadside. Costs and production were summarized for each system. The systems were: (1) Continuous-travel feller-buncher, skidder, and chipper; (2) 3-wheel feller-buncher, skidder, and chipper; (3) chainsaw, skidder, and chipper. In the 7.6-cm stand, system productivities were 9.9, 7.3, and 7.5 BDLT/SMH, and costs were $20.9, $20.8, and $18.0 per BDLT for the three systems, respectively. System production rates for the 15.2-cm stand were 24.3, 10.2, and 12.5 BDLT/SMH, and costs were $8.7, $10.9, and $13.2 for systems 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

  18. Piezoelectric energy harvesting with parametric uncertainty

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, S F; Friswell, M I; Adhikari, S

    2010-01-01

    The design and analysis of energy harvesting devices is becoming increasing important in recent years. Most of the literature has focused on the deterministic analysis of these systems and the problem of uncertain parameters has received less attention. Energy harvesting devices exhibit parametric uncertainty due to errors in measurement, errors in modelling and variability in the parameters during manufacture. This paper investigates the effect of parametric uncertainty in the mechanical system on the harvested power, and derives approximate explicit formulae for the optimal electrical parameters that maximize the mean harvested power. The maximum of the mean harvested power decreases with increasing uncertainty, and the optimal frequency at which the maximum mean power occurs shifts. The effect of the parameter variance on the optimal electrical time constant and optimal coupling coefficient are reported. Monte Carlo based simulation results are used to further analyse the system under parametric uncertainty

  19. High-power density miniscale power generation and energy harvesting systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lyshevski, Sergey Edward

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports design, analysis, evaluations and characterization of miniscale self-sustained power generation systems. Our ultimate objective is to guarantee highly-efficient mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion, ensure premier wind- or hydro-energy harvesting capabilities, enable electric machinery and power electronics solutions, stabilize output voltage, etc. By performing the advanced scalable power generation system design, we enable miniscale energy sources and energy harvesting technologies. The proposed systems integrate: (1) turbine which rotates a radial- or axial-topology permanent-magnet synchronous generator at variable angular velocity depending on flow rate, speed and load, and, (2) power electronic module with controllable rectifier, soft-switching converter and energy storage stages. These scalable energy systems can be utilized as miniscale auxiliary and self-sustained power units in various applications, such as, aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, biomedical, and marine. The proposed systems uniquely suit various submersible and harsh environment applications. Due to operation in dynamic rapidly-changing envelopes (variable speed, load changes, etc.), sound solutions are researched, proposed and verified. We focus on enabling system organizations utilizing advanced developments for various components, such as generators, converters, and energy storage. Basic, applied and experimental findings are reported. The prototypes of integrated power generation systems were tested, characterized and evaluated. It is documented that high-power density, high efficiency, robustness and other enabling capabilities are achieved. The results and solutions are scalable from micro (∼100 μW) to medium (∼100 kW) and heavy-duty (sub-megawatt) auxiliary and power systems.

  20. Development of an SPME-GC-MS/MS method for the determination of pesticides in rainwater: Laboratory and field experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sauret-Szczepanski, Nathalie; Mirabel, Philippe; Wortham, Henri

    2006-01-01

    A solid-phase microextraction - coupled to a gas chromatography - ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS/MS) method was developed for the quantitative determination in rainwater of 8 pesticides amongst the most used in France and 3 triazines metabolites. The main factors affecting the SPME process were studied. Using a 3 mL sample, the method developed showed good linearity for concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 50 μg L -1 with correlation coefficients between 0.997 and 0.9999 and relative standard deviations (% RSD) below 14%. The study of matrix effects showed that rainwater was too diluted to have any significant influence on the extraction efficiency. To validate the method, a field campaign was carried out on the rain events, which occurred in Strasbourg during a one-year period. The rain concentrations showed patterns of high pesticide concentrations during spring months, which were correlated to the spraying periods of most of these substances. - Solid-phase microextraction efficiency of pesticides in rainwater was optimized

  1. Numerical Investigation of a Tuned Heave Plate Energy-Harvesting System of a Semi-Submersible Platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kun Liu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A novel tuned heave plate energy-harvesting system (THPEH is presented for the motion suppressing and energy harvesting of a semi-submersible platform. This THPEH system is designed based on the principle of a tuned mass damper (TMD and is composed of spring supports, a power take-off system (PTO and four movable heave plates. The permanent magnet linear generators (PMLG are used as the PTO system in this design. A semi-submersible platform operating in the South China Sea is selected as the research subject for investigating the effects of the THPEH system on motion reduction and harvesting energy through numerical simulations. The numerical model of the platform and the THPEH system, which was established based on hydrodynamic analysis, is modified and validated by the results of the flume test of a 1:70 scale model. The effects of the parameters, including the size, the frequency ratio and the damping ratio of the THPEH system, are systematically investigated. The results show that this THPEH system, with proper parameters, could significantly reduce the motions of the semi-submersible platform and generate considerable power under different wave conditions.

  2. Design and Experimental Evaluation on an Advanced Multisource Energy Harvesting System for Wireless Sensor Nodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available An effective multisource energy harvesting system is presented as power supply for wireless sensor nodes (WSNs. The advanced system contains not only an expandable power management module including control of the charging and discharging process of the lithium polymer battery but also an energy harvesting system using the maximum power point tracking (MPPT circuit with analog driving scheme for the collection of both solar and vibration energy sources. Since the MPPT and the power management module are utilized, the system is able to effectively achieve a low power consumption. Furthermore, a super capacitor is integrated in the system so that current fluctuations of the lithium polymer battery during the charging and discharging processes can be properly reduced. In addition, through a simple analog switch circuit with low power consumption, the proposed system can successfully switch the power supply path according to the ambient energy sources and load power automatically. A practical WSNs platform shows that efficiency of the energy harvesting system can reach about 75–85% through the 24-hour environmental test, which confirms that the proposed system can be used as a long-term continuous power supply for WSNs.

  3. Tropical forest harvesting and taxation: a dynamic model of harvesting behavior under selective extraction systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robert F. Conrad; Malcolm Gillis; D. Evan Mercer

    2005-01-01

    A dynamic model of selective harvesting in multi-species,multi-age tropical forests is developed. Forests are predicted to exhibit different optimal harvesting profiles depending on the nature of their joint cost functions and own or cross-species stock effects. The model is applied to the controversy about incentives produced by various taxes. The impacts of specific...

  4. MECHANIZED HARVESTING TESTS PERFORMED BY GRAPE HARVESTERS IN SUPER INTENSIVE OLIVE ORCHARD CULTIVATION IN SPAIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gennaro Giametta

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Today also those countries boasting a century-old olive growing tradition have to look at the latest, most dynamic, non labour-intensive olive growing systems to abate production (notably, harvesting operations costs and remain competitive in a globalized market. This is why over the last few years super intensive olive orchard cultivation has been attracting a lot of interest on the part of olive growers all over the world as it accounts for an innovative model whereby olive groves are tailored to the special needs of grape harvesters. This paper reports the first results of experimental mechanical harvesting tests in a super-intensive olive cultivation. The study is intended to explore both productivity and work capacity of two of the most commonly used grape harvesters, Grégoire G120SW and New Holland Braud VX680, in a view to assessing their harvesting performance by a series of tests conducted in Spain. On the basis of the tests it was possible to verify that the machines are able to detach the almost all the drupes (more than 90%, with one only passage, and this independently of both size and location of drupes on the tree crown and of their maturity stage. Using these machines, two people can often carry out the whole harvest process: an operator driving the harvester and another person transferring the fruit from the harvester in the field to the olive oil mill for processing. With this system, the work speed is usually, in the best working conditions, about 1.7 km/hour and the average harvesting time is about 2.5-3 hours/ha. For the time being it is however impossible to draw definitive conclusions in terms of performance of the above cultivation systems and harvesting machines. Additional key observational studies are needed in the years to come to assess the efficiency of the entire model.

  5. Hybrid energy harvesting systems, using piezoelectric elements and dielectric polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornogolub, Alexandru; Cottinet, Pierre-Jean; Petit, Lionel

    2016-09-01

    Interest in energy harvesting applications has increased a lot during recent years. This is especially true for systems using electroactive materials like dielectric polymers or piezoelectric materials. Unfortunately, these materials despite multiple advantages, present some important drawbacks. For example, many dielectric polymers demonstrated high energy densities; they are cheap, easy to process and can be easily integrated in many different structures. But at the same time, dielectric polymer generators require an external energy supply which could greatly compromise their autonomy. Piezoelectric systems, on the other hand, are completely autonomous and can be easily miniaturized. However, most common piezoelectric materials present a high rigidity and are brittle by nature and therefore their integration could be difficult. This paper investigates the possibility of using hybrid systems combining piezoelectric elements and dielectric polymers for mechanical energy harvesting applications and it is focused mainly on the problem of electrical energy transfer. Our objective is to show that such systems can be interesting and that it is possible to benefit from the advantages of both materials. For this, different configurations were considered and the problem of their optimization was addressed. The experimental work enabled us to prove the concept and identify the main practical limitations.

  6. Impact of Hybrid Water Supply on the Centralised Water System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Sitzenfrei

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Traditional (technical concepts to ensure a reliable water supply, a safe handling of wastewater and flood protection are increasingly criticised as outdated and unsustainable. These so-called centralised urban water systems are further maladapted to upcoming challenges because of their long lifespan in combination with their short-sighted planning and design. A combination of (existing centralised and decentralised infrastructure is expected to be more reliable and sustainable. However, the impact of increasing implementation of decentralised technologies on the local technical performance in sewer or water supply networks and the interaction with the urban form has rarely been addressed in the literature. In this work, an approach which couples the UrbanBEATS model for the planning of decentralised strategies together with a water supply modelling approach is developed and applied to a demonstration case. With this novel approach, critical but also favourable areas for such implementations can be identified. For example, low density areas, which have high potential for rainwater harvesting, can result in local water quality problems in the supply network when further reducing usually low pipe velocities in these areas. On the contrary, in high demand areas (e.g., high density urban forms there is less effect of rainwater harvesting due to the limited available space. In these high density areas, water efficiency measures result in the highest savings in water volume, but do not cause significant problems in the technical performance of the potable water supply network. For a more generalised and case-independent conclusion, further analyses are performed for semi-virtual benchmark networks to answer the question of an appropriate representation of the water distribution system in a computational model for such an analysis. Inappropriate hydraulic model assumptions and characteristics were identified for the stated problem, which have more

  7. Low Power Consumption Wireless Sensor Communication System Integrated with an Energy Harvesting Power Source

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vlad MARSIC

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the testing results of a wireless sensor communication system with low power consumption integrated with an energy harvesting power source. The experiments focus on the system’s capability to perform continuous monitoring and to wirelessly transmit the data acquired from the sensors to a user base station, for realization of completely battery-free wireless sensor system. Energy harvesting technologies together with system design optimization for power consumption minimization ensure the system’s energy autonomous capability demonstrated in this paper by presenting the promising testing results achieved following its integration with structural health monitoring and body area network applications.

  8. Small-Sized Whole-Tree Harvesting in Finland

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaerhae, Kalle [Metsaeteho Oy, Helsinki (Finland)

    2006-07-15

    In Finland, there are two mechanized harvesting systems used for small diameter (d{sub 1.3}= 10 cm) thinning wood: 1) the traditional two-machine (harvester and forwarder) system, and 2) the harwarder system (i.e. the same machine performs both felling and haulage to the roadside). At present, there are more than 20 energy wood harwarders in use in Finland. However, there have been no comprehensive studies carried out on the energy wood harwarders. This paper looks into the productivity results obtained with energy wood harwarders. In addition, the energy wood harvesting costs for harwarders are compared with those of the two-machine system. The results clearly indicated what kind of machine resources can be profitably allocated to different whole-tree harvesting sites. The energy wood harwarders should be directed towards harvesting sites where the forwarding distances are small, the trees harvested are relatively small, and the total volume of energy wood removed is quite low. Respectively, when the stem size removed is relatively large in young stands, and the forest haulage distances are long, the traditional two-machine system is more competitive.

  9. Modeling of capacitor charging dynamics in an energy harvesting system considering accurate electromechanical coupling effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagheri, Shahriar; Wu, Nan; Filizadeh, Shaahin

    2018-06-01

    This paper presents an iterative numerical method that accurately models an energy harvesting system charging a capacitor with piezoelectric patches. The constitutive relations of piezoelectric materials connected with an external charging circuit with a diode bridge and capacitors lead to the electromechanical coupling effect and the difficulty of deriving accurate transient mechanical response, as well as the charging progress. The proposed model is built upon the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and takes into account the electromechanical coupling effects as well as the dynamic process of charging an external storage capacitor. The model is validated through experimental tests on a cantilever beam coated with piezoelectric patches. Several parametric studies are performed and the functionality of the model is verified. The efficiency of power harvesting system can be predicted and tuned considering variations in different design parameters. Such a model can be utilized to design robust and optimal energy harvesting system.

  10. Molecular composition of rainwater and aerosol during rain events in León, Spain, using high resolution mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fee, Anna

    2017-04-01

    Anna Fee (1), Markus Kalberer (1), Roberto Fraile (2), Amaya Castro (2), Ana. I. Calvo (2), Carlos Blanco-Alegre (2), Fernanda Oduber (2) and Mário Cerqueira (3). 1 Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK. 2 Department of Applied Chemistry and Physics, IMARENAB, University of León, Spain. 3 Department of Environmental Planning, University of Aveiro, Portugal. A wide range of atmospheric compounds which are present in rainwater are often also present in aerosol. They can be taken up during cloud droplet formation (in-cloud scavenging) or washed out during precipitation (below-cloud scavenging). Such compounds including aromatic hydrocarbons and organic nitrogen containing compounds are hazardous to health. In this study, the organic chemical composition of rainwater and aerosol from rain events in León, Spain, is being analysed using high resolution mass spectrometry. Collected rainwater along with high volume and low volume filters from rain events which occurred during spring, summer and winter of 2016 have been selected for analysis. Rainwater samples were prepared using Polymeric Reversed Phase Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and filters have been extracted in water with and without SPE. Three different SPE polymer based sorbents were tested; one for extracting neutral compounds and two which are more suitable for extracting organic compounds containing sulphate and other polar functional groups. The sorbent for extracting neutral compounds was found to yield a higher number of compounds from the sample extraction than the other two varieties. Kendrick masses, Van Krevelen plots and carbon oxidation states have been investigated to identify compounds and patterns. Preliminary results show a predominance in peaks with O/C ratios between 0.2 and 0.7 and H/C ratios between 1 and 2 in both rain and aerosol samples which indicates substituted aromatic compounds. Cellulose material and fatty acids may also be present. The rain samples also have a

  11. Effects of ridge and furrow rainfall harvesting system on Elymus ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ARL

    2012-05-10

    May 10, 2012 ... A ridge-furrow rainfall harvesting system (RFRHS) was designed to increase the available soil water for .... The solar energy passed through the plastic-film and heated up the air and the surface soil of ridge and then the heat was trapped by the greenhouse effect (Zhou et al., 2009). Meanwhile, the.

  12. Dual-Hop VLC/RF Transmission System with Energy Harvesting Relay under Delay Constraint

    KAUST Repository

    Rakia, Tamer; Yang, Hong-Chuan; Gebali, Fayez; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce a dual-hop visible light communication (VLC) / radio frequency (RF) transmission system to extend the coverage of indoor VLC systems. The relay between the two hops is able to harvest light energy from different

  13. An Enhanced Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting System with Macro Fiber Composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuwen Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Self-power supply is a promising project in various applied conditions. Among this research area, piezoelectric material-based energy harvesting (EH method has been researched in recent years due to its advantages. With the limitation of energy form acceptance range of EH circuit system, a sum of energy is not accessible to be obtained. To enlarge the EH quantity from the vibration, an enhanced piezoelectric vibration EH structure with piezoelectric film is developed in this work. Piezoelectric-based energy harvesting mechanism is primarily proposed in this work. The special-designed electric circuit for EH from macro fiber composite (MFC is proposed and then analyzed. When the structure vibrates in its modes of frequencies, the experiments are developed to measure the EH effect. The energy harvested from the vibrating structure is analyzed and the enhanced effect is presented. The results indicate that, with the enhanced EH structure in this work, vibration energy from structure is obtained in a larger range, and the general EH quantity is enlarged.

  14. Rainwater deficit and irrigation demand for row crops in Mississippi Blackland Prairie

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gary Feng; Ying Ouyang; Ardeshir Adeli; John Read; Johnie Jenkins

    2018-01-01

    Irrigation research in the mid-south United States has not kept pace with a steady increase in irrigated area in recent years. This study used rainfall records from 1895 to 2016 to determine rainwater deficit and irrigation demand for soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], corn (Zea mays L.), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in the Blackland Prairie region of Mississippi...

  15. High-power density miniscale power generation and energy harvesting systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lyshevski, Sergey Edward [Department of Electrical and Microelectronics Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623-5603 (United States)

    2011-01-15

    This paper reports design, analysis, evaluations and characterization of miniscale self-sustained power generation systems. Our ultimate objective is to guarantee highly-efficient mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion, ensure premier wind- or hydro-energy harvesting capabilities, enable electric machinery and power electronics solutions, stabilize output voltage, etc. By performing the advanced scalable power generation system design, we enable miniscale energy sources and energy harvesting technologies. The proposed systems integrate: (1) turbine which rotates a radial- or axial-topology permanent-magnet synchronous generator at variable angular velocity depending on flow rate, speed and load, and, (2) power electronic module with controllable rectifier, soft-switching converter and energy storage stages. These scalable energy systems can be utilized as miniscale auxiliary and self-sustained power units in various applications, such as, aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, biomedical, and marine. The proposed systems uniquely suit various submersible and harsh environment applications. Due to operation in dynamic rapidly-changing envelopes (variable speed, load changes, etc.), sound solutions are researched, proposed and verified. We focus on enabling system organizations utilizing advanced developments for various components, such as generators, converters, and energy storage. Basic, applied and experimental findings are reported. The prototypes of integrated power generation systems were tested, characterized and evaluated. It is documented that high-power density, high efficiency, robustness and other enabling capabilities are achieved. The results and solutions are scalable from micro ({proportional_to}100 {mu}W) to medium ({proportional_to}100 kW) and heavy-duty (sub-megawatt) auxiliary and power systems. (author)

  16. Chemical composition and characteristics of ambient aerosols and rainwater residues during Indian summer monsoon: Insight from aerosol mass spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Abhishek; Gupta, Tarun; Tripathi, Sachchida N.

    2016-07-01

    Real time composition of non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) is measured via Aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) for the first time during Indian summer monsoon at Kanpur, a polluted urban location located at the heart of Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP). Submicron aerosols are found to be dominated by organics followed by nitrate. Source apportionment of organic aerosols (OA) via positive matrix factorization (PMF) revealed several types of secondary/oxidized and primary organic aerosols. On average, OA are completely dominated by oxidized OA with a very little contribution from biomass burning OA. During rain events, PM1 concentration is decreased almost by 60%, but its composition remains nearly the same. Oxidized OA showed slightly more decrease than primary OAs, probably due to their higher hygroscopicity. The presence of organo nitrates (ON) is also detected in ambient aerosols. Apart from real-time sampling, collected fog and rainwater samples were also analyzed via AMS in offline mode and in the ICP-OES (Inductively coupled plasma - Optical emission spectrometry) for elements. The presence of sea salt, organo nitrates and sulfates has been observed. Rainwater residues are also dominated by organics but their O/C ratios are 15-20% lower than the observed values for ambient OA. Alkali metals such as Ca, Na, K are found to be most abundant in the rainwater followed by Zn. Rainwater residues are also found to be much less oxidized than the aerosols present inside the fog water, indicating presence of less oxidized organics. These findings indicate that rain can act as an effective scavenger of different types of pollutants even for submicron particle range. Rainwater residues also contain organo sulfates which indicate that some portion of the dissolved aerosols has undergone aqueous processing, possibly inside the cloud. Highly oxidized and possibly hygroscopic OA during monsoon period compared to other seasons (winter, post monsoon), indicates that they can act

  17. Multi-isotopic composition (δ7Li-δ11B-δD-δ18O) of rainwaters in France: Origin and spatio-temporal characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Millot, Romain; Petelet-Giraud, Emmanuelle; Guerrot, Catherine; Negrel, Philippe

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → A contour map of France for δ 18 O was drawn after compiling data that included more than 400 values from all of France. → The seasonal effect (i.e. the month or rainfall amount) is not the main controlling factor for the Li and B isotopic variations. → Most Li and B in rainwaters does not have a marine origin. → Finally, this work also adds to the potential for use of Li and B isotopes as environmental tracers. - Abstract: In the present work, the first results are reported for both Li and B isotope ratios in rainwater samples collected over a long time period (i.e. monthly rainfall events over 1 a) at a national scale (from coastal and inland locations). In addition, the stable isotopes of the water molecule (δD and δ 18 O) are also reported here for the same locations so that the Li and B isotope data can be discussed in the same context. The range of Li and B isotopic variations in these rainwaters were measured to enable the determination of the origin of these elements in rainwaters and the characterization of both the seasonal and spatio-temporal effects for δ 7 Li and δ 11 B signatures in rainwaters. Lithium and B concentrations are low in rainwater samples, ranging from 0.004 to 0.292 μmol/L and from 0.029 to 6.184 μmol/L, respectively. δ 7 Li and δ 11 B values in rainwaters also show a great range of variation between +3.2 per mille and +95.6 per mille and between -3.3 per mille and +40.6 per mille over a period of 1 a, respectively, clearly different from the signature of seawater. Seasonal effects (i.e. rainfall amount and month) are not the main factors controlling element concentrations and isotopic variations. δ 7 Li and δ 11 B values in rainwaters are clearly different from one site to another, indicating the variable contribution of sea salts in the rainwater depending on the sampling site (coastal vs. inland: also called the distance-from-the-coast-effect). This is well illustrated when wind direction data

  18. Photovoltaic Energy Harvester with Power Management System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Ferri

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a photovoltaic energy harvester, realized in 0.35-μm CMOS technology. The proposed system collects light energy from the environment, by means of 2-mm2 on-chip integrated microsolar cells, and accumulates it in an external capacitor. While the capacitor is charging, the load is disconnected. When the energy in the external capacitor is enough to operate the load for a predefined time slot, the load is connected to the capacitor by a power management circuit. The choice of the value of the capacitance determines the operating time slot for the load. The proposed solution is suitable for discrete-time-regime applications, such as sensor network nodes, or, in general, systems that require power supply periodically for short time slots. The power management circuit includes a charge pump, a comparator, a level shifter, and a linear voltage regulator. The whole system has been extensively simulated, integrated, and experimentally characterized.

  19. Comparison of two cut-to-length harvesting systems operating in eastern hardwoods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chris B. LeDoux; Niel K. Huyler

    2001-01-01

    We compared production rates, operating costs, and break-even points (BEP) for small and large cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting systems operating at several machine utilization rates (MUR) in mixed hardwood and softwood stands in Vermont.

  20. Enzyme-Triggered Defined Protein Nanoarrays: Efficient Light-Harvesting Systems to Mimic Chloroplasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Linlu; Zou, Haoyang; Zhang, Hao; Sun, Hongcheng; Wang, Tingting; Pan, Tiezheng; Li, Xiumei; Bai, Yushi; Qiao, Shanpeng; Luo, Quan; Xu, Jiayun; Hou, Chunxi; Liu, Junqiu

    2017-01-24

    The elegance and efficiency by which chloroplasts harvest solar energy and conduct energy transfer have been a source of inspiration for chemists to mimic such process. However, precise manipulation to obtain orderly arranged antenna chromophores in constructing artificial chloroplast mimics was a great challenge, especially from the structural similarity and bioaffinity standpoints. Here we reported a design strategy that combined covalent and noncovalent interactions to prepare a protein-based light-harvesting system to mimic chloroplasts. Cricoid stable protein one (SP1) was utilized as a building block model. Under enzyme-triggered covalent protein assembly, mutant SP1 with tyrosine (Tyr) residues at the designated sites can couple together to form nanostructures. Through controlling the Tyr sites on the protein surface, we can manipulate the assembly orientation to respectively generate 1D nanotubes and 2D nanosheets. The excellent stability endowed the self-assembled protein architectures with promising applications. We further integrated quantum dots (QDs) possessing optical and electronic properties with the 2D nanosheets to fabricate chloroplast mimics. By attaching different sized QDs as donor and acceptor chromophores to the negatively charged surface of SP1-based protein nanosheets via electrostatic interactions, we successfully developed an artificial light-harvesting system. The assembled protein nanosheets structurally resembled the natural thylakoids, and the QDs can achieve pronounced FRET phenomenon just like the chlorophylls. Therefore, the coassembled system was meaningful to explore the photosynthetic process in vitro, as it was designed to mimic the natural chloroplast.

  1. Pesticides analysed in rainwater in Alsace region (Eastern France): Comparison between urban and rural sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheyer, Anne; Morville, Stéphane; Mirabel, Philippe; Millet, Maurice

    Current-used pesticides commonly applied in Alsace region (Eastern France) on diverse crops (maize, vineyard, vegetables, etc.) were analysed, together with Lindane, in rainwater between January 2002 and June 2003 simultaneously on two sites situated in a typical rural (Erstein, France) and urban area (Strasbourg, France). Rainwater samples were collected on a weekly basis by using two automatic wet only collectors associated with an open collector for the measurement of rainwater height. Pesticides were analysed by GC-MSMS and extracted from rainwater by SPME. Two runs were performed. The first one was performed by using a PDMS (100 μm) fibre for pesticides where direct injection into GC is possible (alachlor, atrazine, azinphos-ethyl, azinphos-methyl, captan, chlorfenvinphos, dichlorvos, diflufenican, α- and β-endosulfan, iprodione, lindane, metolachlor, mevinphos, parathion-methyl, phosalone, phosmet, tebuconazole, triadimefon and trifluralin). The second run was performed by using PDMS/DVB fibre and this run concerns pesticides where a preliminary derivatisation step with pentafluorobenzylbromide (PFBBr) is required for very low volatiles (bromoxynil,2,4-MCPA, MCPP and 2,4-D) or thermo labiles (chlorotoluron, diuron and isoproturon) pesticides. Results showed that the more concentrated pesticides detected were those used as herbicides in large quantities in Alsace region for maize crops (alachlor, metolachlor and atrazine). Maximum concentrations for these herbicides have been measured during intensive applications periods on maize crops following by rapid decrease immediately after use. For Alachlor, most important peaks have been observed between 21 and 28 April 2003 (3327 ng L -1 at Erstein and 5590 ng L -1 at Strasbourg). This is also the case for Metolachlor where most important peak was observed during the same week. Concentrations of pesticides measured out of application periods were very low for many pesticides and some others where never detected

  2. Performance Testing of Thermal Cutting Systems for Sweet Pepper Harvesting Robot in Greenhouse Horticulture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bachche, Shivaji; Oka, Koichi

    2013-03-01

    This paper proposes design of end-effector and prototype of thermal cutting system for harvesting sweet peppers. The design consists of two parallel gripper bars mounted on a frame connected by specially designed notch plate and operated by servo motor. Based on voltage and current, two different types of thermal cutting system prototypes; electric arc and temperature arc respectively were developed and tested for performance. In electric arc, a special electric device was developed to obtain high voltage to perform cutting operation. At higher voltage, electrodes generate thermal arc which helps to cut stem of sweet pepper. In temperature arc, nichrome wire was mounted between two electrodes and current was provided directly to electrodes which results in generation of high temperature arc between two electrodes that help to perform cutting operation. In both prototypes, diameters of basic elements were varied and the effect of this variation on cutting operation was investigated. The temperature arc thermal system was found significantly suitable for cutting operation than electric arc thermal system. In temperature arc thermal cutting system, 0.5 mm nichrome wire shows significant results by accomplishing harvesting operation in 1.5 seconds. Also, thermal cutting system found suitable to increase shelf life of fruits by avoiding virus and fungal transformation during cutting process and sealing the fruit stem. The harvested sweet peppers by thermal cutting system can be preserved at normal room temperature for more than 15 days without any contamination.

  3. Environmental Assessment for the Construction and Operation of a Battalion Headquarters for the U.S. Army Priority Air Transport at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, Prince George’s County, Maryland

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-01

    parcels. The utility components discussed in this section are water supply, sanitary sewer and wastewater system , storm water drainage , electricity...evaluate technologies and features such as green or reflective roofs; rainwater harvesting; alternative HVAC systems ; and alternative lighting...and draft FONSI was available for review at the Upper Marlboro Branch Library of the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System at 14730 Main

  4. Energy harvesting for microsystems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruichao Xu

    2012-05-15

    The purpose of this project is to design and fabricate piezoelectric energy harvesters based on integration of Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 (PZT) thick film technology and silicon microtechnology. The fabrication processes are carried out in close collaboration with Meggitt Sensing Systems (MSS) who has the unique expertise to screen print piezoelectric thick film layers, thus all screen printing steps are done by MSS while the silicon micromachining is carried out at Danchip facility at DTU. The presented energy harvesters are all based on using piezoelectric thick film operating in the 31-mode to generate power when strained. Three archetypes of the numerous fabricated energy harvesters will be presented in detail, they represent three major milestones in this project. The first energy harvester archetype has an unimorph cantilever beam, which consists of a 20 {mu}m silicon layer and 10-30 {mu}m screen printed PZT layer, anchored on a silicon frame at one end and attached to a silicon proof mass at the other. Electrodes will cover both side of the PZT layer, so the harvested energy can be collected electrically. The second archetype has a bimorph cantilever beam, which consists of two 15-35 {mu}m PZT layers, anchored on a silicon frame at the one end and attached to a silicon proof mass at the other. Electrodes are deposited below, between and above the two PZT layers. The root mean square (RMS) power output measured on this type of harvesters is as high as 37.1{mu}W at 1 g. The third archetype is similar to the first one, the screen printed PZT layer is replaced by a lead free piezoelectric material, (KxNa1-x)NbO3 (KNN). Some of the major challenges encountered during the development processes are bad adhesion, fragile structures and short circuiting through the PZT layer. All of which have being fully or partially solved in this project. The final energy harvesters are designed to be used in an energy harvester powered wireless sensing system. (Author)

  5. Energy harvesting from hydroelectric systems for remote sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joaquim Azevedo

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Hydroelectric systems are well-known for large scale power generation. However, there are virtually no studies on energy harvesting with these systems to produce tens or hundreds of milliwatts. The goal of this work was to study which design parameters from large-scale systems can be applied to small-scale systems. Two types of hydro turbines were evaluated. The first one was a Pelton turbine which is suitable for high heads and low flow rates. The second one was a propeller turbine used for low heads and high flow rates. Several turbine geometries and nozzle diameters were tested for the Pelton system. For the propeller, a three-bladed turbine was tested for different heads and draft tubes. The mechanical power provided by these turbines was measured to evaluate the range of efficiencies of these systems. A small three-phase generator was developed for coupling with the turbines in order to evaluate the generated electric power. Selected turbines were used to test battery charging with hydroelectric systems and a comparison between several efficiencies of the systems was made.

  6. Rainwater Quality Measurements in the Area of Bricks Manufacturing at Kajhu Aceh Besar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarina .

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The study of rainwater quality measurement has been done in brick manufacturing area of Kajhu, Aceh Besar. The measurements are taking place in the three different places when the rain fall from the sky in Kajhu area. The physical parameters that will be measured are pH, TDS, conductivity and potential of electricity.

  7. Characterization of carbohydrates in rainwater from the southeastern North Carolina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mullaugh, Katherine M; Byrd, Jade N; Avery, G Brooks; Mead, Ralph N; Willey, Joan D; Kieber, Robert J

    2014-07-01

    Carbohydrates have been widely reported in atmospheric aerosols, but have not previously been quantified in rainwater. We have identified and quantified a series of 11 specific compounds including monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, arabinose, galactose and pinitol), disaccharides (sucrose and trehalose), sugar alcohols (arabitol, dulcitol and mannitol) and the anhydrosaccharide levoglucosan. Rainwater analyzed in this study includes 52 distinct precipitation events in Wilmington, NC between June 2011 and October 2012. Our analysis indicates carbohydrates typically contribute carbohydrates reached as high as 5.8 μM, with glucose and sucrose typically being the predominant species. The distribution of carbohydrates exhibited a distinct seasonal pattern, with higher concentrations of most carbohydrates, especially sucrose, in spring and summer, driven primarily by increased biogenic inputs during the growing season. Concentrations of carbohydrates were an order of magnitude higher in storms of terrestrial origin compared to marine events, further supporting a terrestrial biogenic origin of most species. Sequential sampling of Hurricane Irene showed significant quantities of carbohydrates present at the end of the storm when air mass back trajectories traversed over land. The highest level of levoglucosan, a compound associated with biomass burning, was detected in rain with an air mass back trajectory that traveled over a region affected by wildfires. When compared to aerosol concentrations reported by others, the sugar concentrations in rain demonstrate wet deposition is an important removal mechanism of this water-soluble and bioavailable fraction of atmospheric particulate organic matter. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Adaptive Control Based Harvesting Strategy for a Predator-Prey Dynamical System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sen, Moitri; Simha, Ashutosh; Raha, Soumyendu

    2018-04-23

    This paper deals with designing a harvesting control strategy for a predator-prey dynamical system, with parametric uncertainties and exogenous disturbances. A feedback control law for the harvesting rate of the predator is formulated such that the population dynamics is asymptotically stabilized at a positive operating point, while maintaining a positive, steady state harvesting rate. The hierarchical block strict feedback structure of the dynamics is exploited in designing a backstepping control law, based on Lyapunov theory. In order to account for unknown parameters, an adaptive control strategy has been proposed in which the control law depends on an adaptive variable which tracks the unknown parameter. Further, a switching component has been incorporated to robustify the control performance against bounded disturbances. Proofs have been provided to show that the proposed adaptive control strategy ensures asymptotic stability of the dynamics at a desired operating point, as well as exact parameter learning in the disturbance-free case and learning with bounded error in the disturbance prone case. The dynamics, with uncertainty in the death rate of the predator, subjected to a bounded disturbance has been simulated with the proposed control strategy.

  9. Applying New Technologies to Transform Blueberry Harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fumiomi Takeda

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The growth of the blueberry industry in the past three decades has been remarkably robust. However, a labor shortage for hand harvesting, increasingly higher labor costs, and low harvest efficiencies are becoming bottlenecks for sustainable development of the fresh market blueberry production. In this study, we evaluated semi-mechanical harvesting systems consisting of a harvest-aid platform with soft fruit catching surfaces that collected the fruit detached by portable, hand-held, pneumatic shakers. The softer fruit catching surfaces were not glued to the hard sub-surfaces of the harvest-aid platform, but suspended over them. Also, the ergonomic aspect of operating powered harvesting equipment was determined. The pneumatic shakers removed 3.5 to 15 times more fruit (g/min than by hand. Soft fruit catching surfaces reduced impact force and bruise damage. Fruit firmness was higher in fruit harvested by hand compared to that by pneumatic shakers in some cultivars. The bruise area was less than 8% in fruit harvested by hand and with semi-mechanical harvesting system. The percentage of blue, packable fruit harvested by pneumatic shakers comprised as much as 90% of the total, but less than that of hand-harvested fruit. The ergonomic analysis by electromyography showed that muscle strain in the back, shoulders, and forearms was low in workers operating the light-weight, pneumatic shakers that were tethered to the platform with a tool balancer. The new harvesting method can reduce the labor requirement to about 100 hour/hectare/year and help to mitigate the rising labor cost and shortage of workers for harvesting fresh-market quality blueberries.

  10. Techno-economic evaluation of microalgae harvesting and dewatering systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fasaei, F.; Bitter, J.H.; Slegers, P.M.; Boxtel, van A.J.B.

    2018-01-01

    Microalgal biomass is processed into products by two main process steps: 1) harvesting and dewatering; and 2) extraction, fractionation and conversion. The performance of unit operations for harvesting and dewatering is often expressed in qualitative terms, like “high energy consumption” and “low in

  11. Structures, systems and methods for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novack, Steven D [Idaho Falls, ID; Kotter, Dale K [Shelley, ID; Pinhero, Patrick J [Columbia, MO

    2011-12-06

    Methods, devices and systems for harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation are provided including harvesting energy from electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate and one or more resonance elements disposed in or on the substrate. The resonance elements are configured to have a resonant frequency, for example, in at least one of the infrared, near-infrared and visible light spectra. A layer of conductive material may be disposed over a portion of the substrate to form a ground plane. An optical resonance gap or stand-off layer may be formed between the resonance elements and the ground plane. The optical resonance gap extends a distance between the resonance elements and the layer of conductive material approximately one-quarter wavelength of a wavelength of the at least one resonance element's resonant frequency. At least one energy transfer element may be associated with the at least one resonance element.

  12. Uninterrupted thermoelectric energy harvesting using temperature-sensor-based maximum power point tracking system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jae-Do; Lee, Hohyun; Bond, Matthew

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Feedforward MPPT scheme for uninterrupted TEG energy harvesting is suggested. • Temperature sensors are used to avoid current measurement or source disconnection. • MPP voltage reference is generated based on OCV vs. temperature differential model. • Optimal operating condition is maintained using hysteresis controller. • Any type of power converter can be used in the proposed scheme. - Abstract: In this paper, a thermoelectric generator (TEG) energy harvesting system with a temperature-sensor-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method is presented. Conventional MPPT algorithms for photovoltaic cells may not be suitable for thermoelectric power generation because a significant amount of time is required for TEG systems to reach a steady state. Moreover, complexity and additional power consumption in conventional circuits and periodic disconnection of power source are not desirable for low-power energy harvesting applications. The proposed system can track the varying maximum power point (MPP) with a simple and inexpensive temperature-sensor-based circuit without instantaneous power measurement or TEG disconnection. This system uses TEG’s open circuit voltage (OCV) characteristic with respect to temperature gradient to generate a proper reference voltage signal, i.e., half of the TEG’s OCV. The power converter controller maintains the TEG output voltage at the reference level so that the maximum power can be extracted for the given temperature condition. This feedforward MPPT scheme is inherently stable and can be implemented without any complex microcontroller circuit. The proposed system has been validated analytically and experimentally, and shows a maximum power tracking error of 1.15%

  13. Rainwater Wildlife Area, Watershed Management Plan, A Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project, 2002.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Childs, Allen B.

    2002-03-01

    This Management Plan has been developed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) to document how the Rainwater Wildlife Area (formerly known as the Rainwater Ranch) will be managed. The plan has been developed under a standardized planning process developed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for Columbia River Basin Wildlife Mitigation Projects (See Appendix A and Guiding Policies Section below). The plan outlines the framework for managing the project area, provides an assessment of existing conditions and key resource issues, and presents an array of habitat management and enhancement strategies. The plan culminates into a 5-Year Action Plan that will focus our management actions and prioritize funding during the Fiscal 2001-2005 planning period. This plan is a product of nearly two years of field studies and research, public scoping, and coordination with the Rainwater Advisory Committee. The committee consists of representatives from tribal government, state agencies, local government, public organizations, and members of the public. The plan is organized into several sections with Chapter 1 providing introductory information such as project location, purpose and need, project goals and objectives, common elements and assumptions, coordination efforts and public scoping, and historical information about the project area. Key issues are presented in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 discusses existing resource conditions within the wildlife area. Chapter 4 provides a detailed presentation on management activities and Chapter 5 outlines a monitoring and evaluation plan for the project that will help assess whether the project is meeting the intended purpose and need and the goals and objectives. Chapter 6 displays the action plan and provides a prioritized list of actions with associated budget for the next five year period. Successive chapters contain appendices, references, definitions, and a glossary. The purpose of the project is

  14. Pore-water indicators of rainwater-dominated versus groundwater-dominated peat bog profiles (Jura Mountains, Switzerland)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shotyk, W.; Steinmann, P.

    1994-01-01

    The dominant inorganic anions and cations, and dissolved organic carbon have been measured in the pore waters expressed from peat cores taken from two Sphagnum bogs in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland: Etang de la Gruyere (EGr) consists of > 6 m of peat representing more than 12,000 yr of peat formation while at La Tourbiere de Genevez (TGe) approximately 1.5 m of peat have accumulated over the past 5,000 yr. The pore-water analyses of the core taken at EGr show that the first 100 cm of the core are influenced only by atmospheric inputs. Relative to the average composition of rainwater in this area, Na + is enriched throughout the pore-water profiles, K 2+ is neither enriched nor depleted, Mg 2+ is significantly depleted in the deeper pore waters and Ca 2+ strongly depleted through the profile. The dominant process affecting the cations in these waters is ion exchange, with the peats behaving like a simple cation exchanger with ion preference decreasing in the order Ca 2+ >Mg 2+ >H + >K + much-greater than Na + . In contrast, at TGe the pH increases from pH approximately 4 at the surface to pH 5 at 80 cm. The Cl - and K + concentrations are up to 10 times higher than rainwater values because of mixing of the bog pore water with nearby groundwaters. The Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ concentrations increase with depth to concentrations up to 10 times higher than rainwater values, mainly because of the increasing importance of mineral dissolution within the profile

  15. Quantitative analysis on the urban flood mitigation effect by the extensive green roof system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, J.Y.; Moon, H.J.; Kim, T.I.; Kim, H.W.; Han, M.Y.

    2013-01-01

    Extensive green-roof systems are expected to have a synergetic effect in mitigating urban runoff, decreasing temperature and supplying water to a building. Mitigation of runoff through rainwater retention requires the effective design of a green-roof catchment. This study identified how to improve building runoff mitigation through quantitative analysis of an extensive green-roof system. Quantitative analysis of green-roof runoff characteristics indicated that the extensive green roof has a high water-retaining capacity response to rainfall of less than 20 mm/h. As the rainfall intensity increased, the water-retaining capacity decreased. The catchment efficiency of an extensive green roof ranged from 0.44 to 0.52, indicating reduced runoff comparing with efficiency of 0.9 for a concrete roof. Therefore, extensive green roofs are an effective storm water best-management practice and the proposed parameters can be applied to an algorithm for rainwater-harvesting tank design. -- Highlights: •Urban extensive green roof systems have a synergetic effect in mitigating urban runoff. •These systems are improve runoff mitigation and decentralized urban water management. •These systems have a high water-retaining capacity response to rainfall of less than 20 mm/h. •The catchment efficiency of an extensive green roof ranged from 0.44 to 0.52. -- Extensive green-roofs are an effective storm water best-management practice and the proposed parameters can be applied to mitigate urban runoff

  16. How nature designs light-harvesting antenna systems: design principles and functional realization in chlorophototrophic prokaryotes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, Donald A.; Canniffe, Daniel P.

    2018-02-01

    Chlorophyll-based phototrophs, or chlorophototrophs, convert light energy into stored chemical potential energy using two types of photochemical reaction center (RC), denoted type-1 and type-2. After excitation with light, a so-called special pair of chlorophylls in the RC is oxidized, and an acceptor is reduced. To ensure that RCs function at maximal rates in diffuse and variable light conditions, chlorophototrophs have independently evolved diverse light-harvesting antenna systems to rapidly and efficiently transfer that energy to the RCs. Energy transfer between weakly coupled chromophores is generally believed to proceed by resonance energy transfer, a dipole-induced-dipole process that was initially described theoretically by Förster. Nature principally optimizes three parameters in antenna systems: the distance separating the donor and acceptor chromophores, the relative orientations of those chromophores, and the spectral overlap between the donor and the acceptor chromophores. However, there are other important biological parameters that nature has optimized, and some common themes emerge from comparisons of different antenna systems. This tutorial considers structural and functional characteristics of three fundamentally different light-harvesting antenna systems of chlorophotrophic bacteria: phycobilisomes of cyanobacteria, the light-harvesting complexes (LH1 and LH2) of purple bacteria, and chlorosomes of green bacteria. Phycobilisomes are generally considered to represent an antenna system in which the chromophores are weakly coupled, while the strongly coupled bacteriochlorophyll molecules in LH1 and LH2 are strongly coupled and are better described by exciton theory. Chlorosomes can contain up to 250 000 bacteriochlorophyll molecules, which are very strongly coupled and form supramolecular, nanotubular arrays. The general and specific principles that have been optimized by natural selection during the evolution of these diverse light-harvesting

  17. The Rainwater Memorial Calibration Facility for X-Ray Optics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brejnholt, Nicolai; Christensen, Finn Erland; Hailey, Charles J.

    2011-01-01

    The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) is a NASA Small Explorer mission that will carry the first focusing hard X-ray (5–80 keV) telescope to orbit. The ground calibration of the optics posed a challenge as the need to suppress finite source distance effects over the full optic...... and the energy range of interest were unique requirements not met by any existing facility. In this paper we present the requirements for the NuSTAR optics ground calibration, and how the Rainwater Memorial Calibration Facility, RaMCaF, is designed to meet the calibration requirements. The nearly 175 m long...

  18. Wind energy harvesting with a piezoelectric harvester

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Nan; Wang, Quan; Xie, Xiangdong

    2013-01-01

    An energy harvester comprising a cantilever attached to piezoelectric patches and a proof mass is developed for wind energy harvesting, from a cross wind-induced vibration of the cantilever, by the electromechanical coupling effect of piezoelectric materials. The vibration of the cantilever under the cross wind is induced by the air pressure owing to a vortex shedding phenomenon that occurs on the leeward side of the cantilever. To describe the energy harvesting process, a theoretical model considering the cross wind-induced vibration on the piezoelectric coupled cantilever energy harvester is developed, to calculate the charge and the voltage from the harvester. The influences of the length and location of the piezoelectric patches as well as the proof mass on the generated electric power are investigated. Results show that the total generated electric power can be as high as 2 W when the resonant frequency of the cantilever harvester is close to the vortex shedding frequency. Moreover, a value of total generated electric power up to 1.02 W can be practically realized for a cross wind with a variable wind velocity of 9–10 m s −1 by a harvester with a length of 1.2 m. This research facilitates an effective and compact wind energy harvesting device. (paper)

  19. A low frequency rotational energy harvesting system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Febbo, M; Machado, S P; Ramirez, J M; Gatti, C D

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a rotary power scavenging unit comprised of two systems of flexible beams connected by two masses which are joined by means of a spring, considering a PZT (QP16N, Midé Corporation) piezoelectric sheet mounted on one of the beams. The energy harvesting (EH) system is mounted rigidly on a rotating hub. The gravitational force on the masses causes sustained oscillatory motion in the flexible beams as long as there is rotary motion. The intention is to use the EH system in the wireless autonomous monitoring of wind turbines under different wind conditions. Specifically, the development is oriented to monitor the dynamic state of the blades of a wind generator of 30 KW which rotates between 50 and 150 rpm. The paper shows a complete set of experimental results on three devices, modifying the amount of beams in the frame supporting the system. The results show an acceptable sustained voltage generation for the expected range, in the three proposed cases. Therefore, it is possible to use this system for generating energy in a low-frequency rotating environment. As an alternative, the system can be easily adapted to include an array of piezoelectric sheets to each of the beams, to provide more power generation. (paper)

  20. A nanoscale bio-inspired light-harvesting system developed from self-assembled alkyl-functionalized metallochlorin nano-aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ocakoglu, Kasim; Joya, Khurram S.; Harputlu, Ersan; Tarnowska, Anna; Gryko, Daniel T.

    2014-07-01

    Self-assembled supramolecular organization of nano-structured biomimetic light-harvesting modules inside solid-state nano-templates can be exploited to develop excellent light-harvesting materials for artificial photosynthetic devices. We present here a hybrid light-harvesting system mimicking the chlorosomal structures of the natural photosynthetic system using synthetic zinc chlorin units (ZnChl-C6, ZnChl-C12 and ZnChl-C18) that are self-aggregated inside the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nano-channel membranes. AAO nano-templates were modified with a TiO2 matrix and functionalized with long hydrophobic chains to facilitate the formation of supramolecular Zn-chlorin aggregates. The transparent Zn-chlorin nano-aggregates inside the alkyl-TiO2 modified AAO nano-channels have a diameter of ~120 nm in a 60 μm length channel. UV-Vis studies and fluorescence emission spectra further confirm the formation of the supramolecular ZnChl aggregates from monomer molecules inside the alkyl-functionalized nano-channels. Our results prove that the novel and unique method can be used to produce efficient and stable light-harvesting assemblies for effective solar energy capture through transparent and stable nano-channel ceramic materials modified with bio-mimetic molecular self-assembled nano-aggregates.Self-assembled supramolecular organization of nano-structured biomimetic light-harvesting modules inside solid-state nano-templates can be exploited to develop excellent light-harvesting materials for artificial photosynthetic devices. We present here a hybrid light-harvesting system mimicking the chlorosomal structures of the natural photosynthetic system using synthetic zinc chlorin units (ZnChl-C6, ZnChl-C12 and ZnChl-C18) that are self-aggregated inside the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nano-channel membranes. AAO nano-templates were modified with a TiO2 matrix and functionalized with long hydrophobic chains to facilitate the formation of supramolecular Zn-chlorin aggregates. The

  1. Recharge the Rain: Community Resilience Through STEM Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkening, B.; Shipek, C.

    2017-12-01

    Starting in January 2017, Recharge the Rain moves sixth through twelfth grade teachers, students and the public through a continuum from awareness, to knowledge gain, to conceptual understanding, to action; building community resiliency to hazards associated with increased temperatures, drought and flooding in Arizona. Watershed Management Group with Arizona Project WET are utilizing NOAA assets, experts from the National Weather Service and Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), and Pima County hazard mitigation plan and planning tools to inform citizens and galvanize their commitment to building a community, resilient to the effects of a warming climate. In the first of four years, the project is 1) developing climate-literacy curriculum with 16 Tucson-area teachers that incorporates systems-thinking and increases understanding of earth systems, weather and climate, 2) training teachers and community docents in water harvesting practices and citizen-science data collection, 3) laying the framework for the development of rainwater harvesting engineering design curriculum, 4) involving Tucson community members in water harvesting principles through project implementation workshops, special events, and tours. In years two through four, the project will build resiliency to the effects of climate threats by 1) installing student-designed rainwater harvesting systems, 2) providing community tours of schoolyard systems to educate the public, 3) expanding the program to incorporate curriculum use in Phoenix-area teachers' classrooms and 4) finalizing a replicable model for other communities facing similar threats. What are the lessons learned after one year of Recharge the Rain? How can these lessons be used to inform this project and other projects in building resilient communities?

  2. A resonant electromagnetic vibration energy harvester for intelligent wireless sensor systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiu, Jing, E-mail: jingqiu@cqu.edu.cn; Wen, Yumei; Li, Ping; Liu, Xin; Chen, Hengjia; Yang, Jin [Sensors and Instruments Research Center, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

    2015-05-07

    Vibration energy harvesting is now receiving more interest as a means for powering intelligent wireless sensor systems. In this paper, a resonant electromagnetic vibration energy harvester (VEH) employing double cantilever to convert low-frequency vibration energy into electrical energy is presented. The VEH is made up of two cantilever beams, a coil, and magnetic circuits. The electric output performances of the proposed electromagnetic VEH have been investigated. With the enhancement of turns number N, the optimum peak power of electromagnetic VEH increases sharply and the resonance frequency deceases gradually. When the vibration acceleration is 0.5 g, we obtain the optimum output voltage and power of 9.04 V and 50.8 mW at frequency of 14.9 Hz, respectively. In a word, the prototype device was successfully developed and the experimental results exhibit a great enhancement in the output power and bandwidth compared with other traditional electromagnetic VEHs. Remarkably, the proposed resonant electromagnetic VEH have great potential for applying in intelligent wireless sensor systems.

  3. Harvesting a short rotation forest

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perttu, K L [ed.

    1984-12-01

    Willow and Sallow, considered of great interest for Swedish conditions, present new problems in harvesting. Traditional logging techniques offer few elements of equipment or methods. Light whips may be comminuted to a bulk product, easy to handle, difficult to store, requiring a hot logging system - and requiring a heavy, powerful harvester. Aggregating the material introduces an intermediate wood-fuel unit, suitable for storing, transport and infeed into any comminuter. If the harvester produced billets it would require less energy for its operation and it may be used for other purposes such as pre-commercial thinning or row thinning during the growing season. A few groups of designers have worked on analyses of requirements and possible solutions. Test rigs for severing and bundling were built and evaluated. Public funding was made available for design work on harvesters. Five groups were selected to produce layout designs of large and small harvesters. An evaluation procedure was performed, leading to selection of two concepts, slightly reworked from their original shapes. One is a large self-propelled front-sutting harvester, the other is a harvesting unit to be mounted on a suitable farm tractor. With 3 refs.

  4. A Self-Biased Active Voltage Doubler for Energy Harvesting Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Tayyab, Umais

    2017-12-03

    An active voltage doubler utilizing a single supply op-amp for energy harvesting system is presented. The proposed doubler is used for rectification process to achieve both acceptably high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and large rectified DC voltage. The incorporated op-amp is self-biased, meaning no external supply is needed but rather it uses part of the harvested energy for its biasing. The proposed active doubler achieves maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 61.7% for a 200 Hz sinusoidal input of 0.8 V for a 20 K load resistor. This efficiency is 2 times more when compared with the passive voltage doubler. The rectified DC voltage is almost 2 times more than conventional passive doubler. The relation between PCE and the load resistor is also presented. The proposed active voltage doubler is designed and simulated in LF 0.15 μm CMOS process technology using Cadence virtuoso tool.

  5. Smart multi-application energy harvester using Arduino | Rizman ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This paper presents a Smart Multi-App Harvester Energy Using Arduino for energy harvesting. The system consists of a few mechanical parts such as solar, thermal plate and dynamo (for kinetic) to harvest the energy. The objectives of the project are to harvest the wasted energy from the mechanical parts and used it as a ...

  6. [Effects of simulated acid rain on respiration rate of cropland system with different soil pH].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Xue-zhu; Zhang, Gao-chuan; Li, Hui

    2009-10-15

    To evaluate the effects of acid rain on the respiration rate of cropland system, an outdoor pot experiment was conducted with paddy soils of pH 5.48 (S1), pH 6.70 (S1) and pH 8.18 (S3) during the 2005-2007 wheat-growing seasons. The cropland system was exposed to acid rain by spraying the wheat foliage and irrigating the soil with simulated rainwater of T1 (pH 6.0), T2 (pH 6.0, ionic concentration was twice as rainwater T1), and T3 (pH 4.4, ionic concentration was twice as rainwater T1), respectively. The static opaque chamber-gas chromatograph method was used to measure CO2 fluxes from cropland system. The results showed that acid rain affected the respiration rate of cropland system through crop plant, and the cropland system could adapt to acid rain. Acid rainwater significantly increased the average respiration rate in alkaline soil (S3) cropland system, while it had no significant effects on the average respiration rate in neutral soil (S2) and acidic soil (S1) cropland systems. During 2005-2006, after the alkaline soil cropland system was treated with rainwater T3, the average respiration rate was 23.6% and 27.6% higher than that of alkaline soil cropland system treated with rainwater T1 and T2, respectively. During March to April, the respiration rate was enhanced with the increase of rainwater ionic concentration, while it was dropped with the decrease of rainwater pH value in acidic soil cropland system. It was demonstrated that soil pH and crop plant played important roles on the respiration rate of cropland system.

  7. Molecular characterization of water soluble organic nitrogen in marine rainwater by ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. E. Altieri

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Atmospheric water soluble organic nitrogen (WSON is a subset of the complex organic matter in aerosols and rainwater, which impacts cloud condensation processes and aerosol chemical and optical properties and may play a significant role in the biogeochemical cycle of N. However, its sources, composition, connections to inorganic N, and variability are largely unknown. Rainwater samples were collected on the island of Bermuda (32.27° N, 64.87° W, which experiences both anthropogenic and marine influenced air masses. Samples were analyzed by ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry to chemically characterize the WSON. Elemental compositions of 2281 N containing compounds were determined over the mass range m/z+ 50 to 500. The five compound classes with the largest number of elemental formulas identified, in order from the highest number of formulas to the lowest, contained carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON+, CHON compounds that contained sulfur (CHONS+, CHON compounds that contained phosphorus (CHONP+, CHON compounds that contained both sulfur and phosphorus (CHONSP+, and compounds that contained only carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen (CHN+. Compared to rainwater collected in the continental USA, average O:C ratios of all N containing compound classes were lower in the marine samples whereas double bond equivalent values were higher, suggesting a reduced role of secondary formation mechanisms. Despite their prevalence in continental rainwater, no organonitrates or nitrooxy-organosulfates were detected, but there was an increased presence of organic S and organic P containing compounds in the marine rainwater. Cluster analysis showed a clear chemical distinction between samples collected during the cold season (October to March which have anthropogenic air mass origins and samples collected during the warm season (April to September with remote

  8. Vibration-based Energy Harvesting Systems Characterization Using Automated Electronic Equipment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioannis KOSMADAKIS

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available A measurement bench has been developed to fully automate the procedure for the characterization of a vibration-based energy scavenging system. The measurement system is capable of monitoring all important characteristics of a vibration harvesting system (input and output voltage, current, and other parameters, frequency and acceleration values, etc.. It is composed of a PC, typical digital measuring instruments (oscilloscope, waveform generator, etc., certain sensors and actuators, along with a microcontroller based automation module. The automation of the procedure and the manipulation of the acquired data are performed by LabVIEW software. Typical measurements of a system consisting of a vibrating source, a vibration transducer and an active rectifier are presented.

  9. Thermoelectric energy harvesting system for demonstrating autonomous operation of a wireless sensor node enabled by a multipurpose interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leicht, Joachim; Heilmann, Peter; Maurath, Dominic; Moranz, Christian; Manoli, Yiannos; Hehn, Thorsten; Li, Xiaoming; Thewes, Marcell; Scholl, Gerd

    2013-01-01

    This paper demonstrates the autonomous operation of a wireless sensor node exclusively powered by thermoelectric energy harvesting. Active operation of a wireless sensor system is demonstrated successfully by means of an on-line programmable emulation kit that enables various thermoelectric energy harvesting scenarios. Moreover, this emulation kit accomplishes autonomous wireless sensor node operation by interfacing a small-scaled thermogenerator via a CMOS integrated autonomous multipurpose energy harvesting interface circuit performing maximum power point tracking

  10. High-Performance Energy-Efficient Cool Metal Roof Assemblies Utilizing Building Integrated Renewable Solar Energy Technologies for New and Retrofit Building Construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    technology described in this proposal was first commercialized in 2004. It has been installed in 35 states and 5 countries primarily on residential ...temperatures. o Rainwater harvesting systems help reduce demands on potable water systems and help crowded cities manage stormwater drainage problems...of high density polyisocyanurate rigid insulation board installed over the existing roof and between the sub-purlins with the top layer taped to

  11. Energy harvesting for microsystems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, Ruichao

    The purpose of this project is to design and fabricate piezoelectric energy harvesters based on integration of Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 (PZT) thick film technology and silicon microtechnology. The fabrication processes are carried out in close collaboration with Meggitt Sensing Systems (MSS) who has...... the unique expertise to screen print piezoelectric thick film layers, thus all screen printing steps are done by MSS while the silicon micromachining is carried out at Danchip facility at DTU. The presented energy harvesters are all based on using piezoelectric thick film operating in the 31-mode to generate...... power when strained. Three archetypes of the numerous fabricated energy harvesters will be presented in detail, they represent three major milestones in this project. The first energy harvester archetype has an unimorph cantilever beam, which consists of a 20 µm silicon layer and 10-30 µm screen printed...

  12. Improving Vibration Energy Harvesting Using Dynamic Magnifier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Almuatasim Alomari

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on the design and evaluation of vibration-based piezoelectric energy-harvesting devices based on a polyvinylidene fluoride unimorph cantilever beam attached to the front of a dynamic magnifier. Experimental studies of the electromechanical frequency response functions are studied for the first three resonance frequencies. An analytical analysis is undertaken by applying the chain matrix in order to predict output voltage and output power with respect to the vibration frequency. The proposed harvester was modeled using MATLAB software and COMSOL multi- physics to study the mode shapes and electrical output parameters. The voltage and power output of the energy harvester with a dynamic magnifier was 2.62 V and 13.68 mW, respectively at the resonance frequency of the second mode. The modeling approach provides a basis to design energy harvesters exploiting dynamic magnification for improved performance and bandwidth. The potential application of such energy harvesting devices in the transport sector include autonomous structural health monitoring systems that often include embedded sensors, data acquisition, wireless communication, and energy harvesting systems.

  13. Design and fabrication of an energy-harvesting device using vibration absorber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heidari, Hamidreza; Afifi, Arash

    2017-05-01

    Energy-harvesting devices collect energy that is being wasted and convert to the electrical energy. For this reason, this type of devices is considered as a convenient alternative to traditional batteries. In this paper, experimental examinations were performed to investigate the application of harvesting device for the reduction of the vibration amplitude in a vibration system and also increase the efficiency of energy-harvesting device. This study focuses on the energy-harvesting device as both producing electrical device and a vibration disabled absorber. In this regard, a motion-based energy-harvesting device is designed to produce electrical energy and also eliminate vibrations of a two joint-end beam which is located under the harmonic excitation force. Then, the governing equations of the forced motion on the main beam are derived and energy-harvesting system are simulated. In addition, the system designed by MATLAB simulation is explained and its results are expressed. Finally, a prototype of the system was made and the ability of the energy-harvesting device to absorb the original system vibrations, as well as parameters impact on the efficiency of energy harvesting is investigated. Experimental results show that the energy-harvesting device, in addition to producing electric current with a maximum value of 1.5V, reduces 94% of the original system vibrations.

  14. Smart nanogrid systems for disaster mitigation employing deployable renewable energy harvesting devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghasemi-Nejhad, Mehrdad N.; Menendez, Michael; Minei, Brenden; Wong, Kyle; Gabrick, Caton; Thornton, Matsu; Ghorbani, Reza

    2016-04-01

    This paper explains the development of smart nanogrid systems for disaster mitigation employing deployable renewable energy harvesting, or Deployable Disaster Devices (D3), where wind turbines and solar panels are developed in modular forms, which can be tied together depending on the needed power. The D3 packages/units can be used: (1) as a standalone unit in case of a disaster where no source of power is available, (2) for a remote location such as a farm, camp site, or desert (3) for a community that converts energy usage from fossil fuels to Renewable Energy (RE) sources, or (4) in a community system as a source of renewable energy for grid-tie or off-grid operation. In Smart D3 system, the power is generated (1) for consumer energy needs, (2) charge storage devices (such as batteries, capacitors, etc.), (3) to deliver power to the network when the smart D3 nano-grid is tied to the network and when the power generation is larger than consumption and storage recharge needs, or (4) to draw power from the network when the smart D3 nano-grid is tied to the network and when the power generation is less than consumption and storage recharge needs. The power generated by the Smart D3 systems are routed through high efficiency inverters for proper DC to DC or DC to AC for final use or grid-tie operations. The power delivery from the D3 is 220v AC, 110v AC and 12v DC provide proper power for most electrical and electronic devices worldwide. The power supply is scalable, using a modular system that connects multiple units together. This are facilitated through devices such as external Input-Output or I/O ports. The size of the system can be scaled depending on how many accessory units are connected to the I/O ports on the primary unit. The primary unit is the brain of the system allowing for smart switching and load balancing of power input and smart regulation of power output. The Smart D3 systems are protected by ruggedized weather proof casings allowing for operation

  15. An optimal staggered harvesting strategy for herbaceous biomass energy crops

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhat, M.G.; English, B.C. [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

    1993-12-31

    Biofuel research over the past two decades indicates lignocellulosic crops are a reliable source of feedstock for alternative energy. However, under the current technology of producing, harvesting and converting biomass crops, the cost of biofuel is not competitive with conventional biofuel. Cost of harvesting biomass feedstock is a single largest component of feedstock cost so there is a cost advantage in designing a biomass harvesting system. Traditional farmer-initiated harvesting operation causes over investment. This study develops a least-cost, time-distributed (staggered) harvesting system for example switch grass, that calls for an effective coordination between farmers, processing plant and a single third-party custom harvester. A linear programming model explicitly accounts for the trade-off between yield loss and benefit of reduced machinery overhead cost, associated with the staggered harvesting system. Total cost of producing and harvesting switch grass will decline by 17.94 percent from conventional non-staggered to proposed staggered harvesting strategy. Harvesting machinery cost alone experiences a significant reduction of 39.68 percent from moving from former to latter. The net return to farmers is estimated to increase by 160.40 percent. Per tonne and per hectare costs of feedstock production will decline by 17.94 percent and 24.78 percent, respectively. These results clearly lend support to the view that the traditional system of single period harvesting calls for over investment on agricultural machinery which escalates the feedstock cost. This social loss to the society in the form of escalated harvesting cost can be avoided if there is a proper coordination among farmers, processing plant and custom harvesters as to when and how biomass crop needs to be planted and harvested. Such an institutional arrangement benefits producers, processing plant and, in turn, end users of biofuels.

  16. Experimental measurement of energy harvesting with backpack

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavelkova, Radka; Vala, David; Suranek, Pavel; Mahdal, Miroslav

    2017-08-01

    This article deals with the energy harvesting systems, especially the energy harvesting backpack, which appears as a convenient means for energy harvesting for mobile sensors power. Before starting the experiment, it was necessary to verify whether this energy will be sufficient to get acquainted with the human kinematics and analyze problematics itself. For this purpose there was used motion capture technology from Xsens. Measured data on the position of a particle moving man and back when walking, these data were then used for experimental realization of energy harvesting backpack and as input data to the simulation in Simulink, which brought us a comparison between theoretical assumptions and practical implementation. When measuring characteristics of energy harvesting system we have a problem with measurements on backpack solved when redoing of the hydraulic cylinder as a source of a suitable movement corresponding to the amplitude and frequency of human walk.

  17. A tapped-inductor buck-boost converter for a multi-DEAP generator energy harvesting system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dimopoulos, Emmanouil; Munk-Nielsen, Stig

    2014-01-01

    the effective operational range of the power electronic converter. In this paper, a bidirectional tapped-inductor buck-boost converter is proposed, addressing high-efficient high step-up and high step-down voltage conversion ratios, for energy harvesting applications based on DEAP generators. The effective...... operational range of the converter is extended, by replacing its high-side switch with a string of three serialized MOSFETs, to accommodate the need for high-efficient high-voltage operation. Experiments conducted on a single DEAP generator - part of a quadruple DEAP generator energy harvesting system...... with all elements installed sequentially in the same circular disk with a 90 phase shift - validate the applicability of the proposed converter, demonstrating energy harvesting of 0.26 J, at 0.5 Hz and 60 % delta-strain; characterized by an energy density of 1.25 J per kg of active material....

  18. Dingxi Prefecture of Gansu Province's Development of Rainwater Collection and Water-Saving Irrigation to Combat the Arid Environment

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Zhang, Xiaojun; Dong, Suocheng; Wang, Haiying; Liu, Guihuan; Li, Shuang

    2005-01-01

    .... At the same time, in the long-time practice, Dingxi has taken the rainwater collection and water-saving irrigation as the link for improving eco-environment and increasing field's productivity...

  19. Coping with drought: the experience of water sensitive urban design ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2014-11-14

    Nov 14, 2014 ... cled water supply', supplied by local authorities. This system provides recycled water as an alternative source of water, for non-potable use only, via a pipeline with a tap for each user who opts to use it (McAlister, 2007). Stormwater is reused via rainwater harvesting tanks which allows for the re-use of water.

  20. Power electronics and control techniques for maximum energy harvesting in photovoltaic systems

    CERN Document Server

    Femia, Nicola

    2012-01-01

    Incentives provided by European governments have resulted in the rapid growth of the photovoltaic (PV) market. Many PV modules are now commercially available, and there are a number of power electronic systems for processing the electrical power produced by PV systems, especially for grid-connected applications. Filling a gap in the literature, Power Electronics and Control Techniques for Maximum Energy Harvesting in Photovoltaic Systems brings together research on control circuits, systems, and techniques dedicated to the maximization of the electrical power produced by a photovoltaic (PV) so

  1. Hybrid energy harvesting using active thermal backplane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyun-Wook; Lee, Dong-Gun

    2016-04-01

    In this study, we demonstrate the concept of a new hybrid energy harvesting system by combing solar cells with magneto-thermoelectric generator (MTG, i.e., thermal energy harvesting). The silicon solar cell can easily reach high temperature under normal operating conditions. Thus the heated solar cell becomes rapidly less efficient as the temperature of solar cell rises. To increase the efficiency of the solar cell, air or water-based cooling system is used. To surpass conventional cooling devices requiring additional power as well as large working space for air/water collectors, we develop a new technology of pairing an active thermal backplane (ATB) to solar cell. The ATB design is based on MTG technology utilizing the physics of the 2nd order phase transition of active ferromagnetic materials. The MTG is cost-effective conversion of thermal energy to electrical energy and is fundamentally different from Seebeck TEG devices. The ATB (MTG) is in addition to being an energy conversion system, a very good conveyor of heat through both conduction and convection. Therefore, the ATB can provide dual-mode for the proposed hybrid energy harvesting. One is active convective and conductive cooling for heated solar cell. Another is active thermal energy harvesting from heat of solar cell. These novel hybrid energy harvesting device have potentially simultaneous energy conversion capability of solar and thermal energy into electricity. The results presented can be used for better understanding of hybrid energy harvesting system that can be integrated into commercial applications.

  2. Biogeography of photosynthetic light-harvesting genes in marine phytoplankton.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas S Bibby

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Photosynthetic light-harvesting proteins are the mechanism by which energy enters the marine ecosystem. The dominant prokaryotic photoautotrophs are the cyanobacterial genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus that are defined by two distinct light-harvesting systems, chlorophyll-bound protein complexes or phycobilin-bound protein complexes, respectively. Here, we use the Global Ocean Sampling (GOS Project as a unique and powerful tool to analyze the environmental diversity of photosynthetic light-harvesting genes in relation to available metadata including geographical location and physical and chemical environmental parameters. METHODS: All light-harvesting gene fragments and their metadata were obtained from the GOS database, aligned using ClustalX and classified phylogenetically. Each sequence has a name indicative of its geographic location; subsequent biogeographical analysis was performed by correlating light-harvesting gene budgets for each GOS station with surface chlorophyll concentration. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Using the GOS data, we have mapped the biogeography of light-harvesting genes in marine cyanobacteria on ocean-basin scales and show that an environmental gradient exists in which chlorophyll concentration is correlated to diversity of light-harvesting systems. Three functionally distinct types of light-harvesting genes are defined: (1 the phycobilisome (PBS genes of Synechococcus; (2 the pcb genes of Prochlorococcus; and (3 the iron-stress-induced (isiA genes present in some marine Synechococcus. At low chlorophyll concentrations, where nutrients are limited, the Pcb-type light-harvesting system shows greater genetic diversity; whereas at high chlorophyll concentrations, where nutrients are abundant, the PBS-type light-harvesting system shows higher genetic diversity. We interpret this as an environmental selection of specific photosynthetic strategy. Importantly, the unique light-harvesting system isiA is found

  3. Dark states and delocalization: Competing effects of quantum coherence on the efficiency of light harvesting systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Zixuan; Engel, Gregory S; Alharbi, Fahhad H; Kais, Sabre

    2018-02-14

    Natural light harvesting systems exploit electronic coupling of identical chromophores to generate efficient and robust excitation transfer and conversion. Dark states created by strong coupling between chromophores in the antenna structure can significantly reduce radiative recombination and enhance energy conversion efficiency. Increasing the number of the chromophores increases the number of dark states and the associated enhanced energy conversion efficiency yet also delocalizes excitations away from the trapping center and reduces the energy conversion rate. Therefore, a competition between dark state protection and delocalization must be considered when designing the optimal size of a light harvesting system. In this study, we explore the two competing mechanisms in a chain-structured antenna and show that dark state protection is the dominant mechanism, with an intriguing dependence on the parity of the number of chromophores. This dependence is linked to the exciton distribution among eigenstates, which is strongly affected by the coupling strength between chromophores and the temperature. Combining these findings, we propose that increasing the coupling strength between the chromophores can significantly increase the power output of the light harvesting system.

  4. NUTRIENT BALANCE IN WATER HARVESTING SOILS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Díaz, F

    2005-05-01

    Full Text Available Dryland farming on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain, which has an annual rainfall of less than 150 mm/year, has been based traditionally on water harvesting techniques (known locally as “gavias”. Periods of high productivity alternate with those of very low yield. The systems are sustainable in that they reduce erosive processes, contribute to soil and soil-water conservation and are largely responsible for maintaining the soil’s farming potential. In this paper we present the chemical fertility status and nutrient balance of soils in five “gavia” systems. The results are compared with those obtained in adjacent soils where this water harvesting technique is not used. The main crops are wheat, barley, maize, lentils and chick-peas. Since neither organic nor inorganic fertilisers are used, nutrients are derived mainly from sediments carried by runoff water. Nutrients are lost mainly through crop harvesting and harvest residues. The soils where water harvesting is used have lower salt and sodium in the exchange complex, are higher in carbon, nitrogen, copper and zinc and have similar phosphorous and potassium content. It is concluded that the systems improve the soil’s natural fertility and also that natural renovation of nutrients occurs thanks to the surface deposits of sediments, which mix with the arable layer. The system helps ensure adequate fertility levels, habitual in arid regions, thus allowing dryland farming to be carried out.

  5. Briquetting of wastes from coffee plants conducted in zero harvest system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oberdan Everton Zerbinatti

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The briquetting process consists of lignocellulosic residues densification in solid biofuel with high calorific value denominated briquette. Coffee crop is one of the most important Brazilian commodities and according to the cultural practices produces plant residues in different amounts. The zero harvest system in coffee crop is based in pruning of plagiotropic branches in alternated years to make possible to concentrate the harvest and to avoid coffee biannual production. The aim of the present work was to verify the viability of briquette production using the biomass waste obtained by zero harvest system. The treatments were composed of briquetting process: 1 coffee rind; 2 mixture of branches and leaves; 3 25% of coffee rind + 75% of branches and leaves; 4 75% of coffee rind + 25% of branches and leaves; 5 50% of coffee rind + 50% of branches and leaves; 6 40% of coffee rind + 60% of branches and leaves. The mixtures were realized in v/v base, milled to produce 5-10 mm particles and were briqueted with 12% of humidity. The C-teor of briquettes produced ranged from 41.85 to 43. 84% and sulphur teor was below 0.1%. The calorific value of briquettes produced ranged from 3,359 to 4, 028 Kcal/ kg and the ashes were below 6%. The isolated use of coffee rind or branches and leaves, as well the mixtures of coffee rind with 50% or more of branches and leaves allow the production of briquettes with calorific value around 4,000 Kcal/ kg which is within the quality parameters. The briquetting of coffee crop wastes is viable and sustainable energetically.

  6. Combined Euler column vibration isolation and energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, R. B.; McDowell, M. D.

    2017-05-01

    A new device that combines vibration isolation and energy harvesting is modeled, simulated, and tested. The vibration isolating portion of the device uses post-buckled beams as its spring elements. Piezoelectric film is applied to the beams to harvest energy from their dynamic flexure. The entire device operates passively on applied base excitation and requires no external power or control system. The structural system is modeled using the elastica, and the structural response is applied as forcing on the electric circuit equation to predict the output voltage and the corresponding harvested power. The vibration isolation and energy harvesting performance is simulated across a large parameter space and the modeling approach is validated with experimental results. Experimental transmissibilities of 2% and harvested power levels of 0.36 μW are simultaneously demonstrated. Both theoretical and experimental data suggest that there is not necessarily a trade-off between vibration isolation and harvested power. That is, within the practical operational range of the device, improved vibration isolation will be accompanied by an increase in the harvested power as the forcing frequency is increased.

  7. Analysis of complex wetland ecological system: Effect of harvesting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilesh Kumar Thakur

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we have studied interaction among diffusive phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish population with Beddington-DeAngelis type functional response for the zooplankton and Holling type III for fish. The stability analysis of the model system with diffusion and without diffusion has been analyzed. The conditions for Maximum sustainable yield and Optimal harvesting policy for non-spatial model have been discussed. Our study may be helpful to improve and manage ecosystem services provided by wetlands on an agricultural landscapes include fisheries, water conservation, climate change and many more.

  8. Effectiveness and cost of recruitment strategies for a community-based randomised controlled trial among rainwater drinkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigo, Shelly; Sinclair, Martha; Cunliffe, David; Leder, Karin

    2009-07-16

    Community-based recruitment is challenging particularly if the sampling frame is not easily defined as in the case of people who drink rainwater. Strategies for contacting participants must be carefully considered to maximise generalisability and minimise bias of the results. This paper assesses the recruitment strategies for a 1-year double-blinded randomised trial on drinking untreated rainwater. The effectiveness of the recruitment strategies and associated costs are described. Community recruitment of households from Adelaide, Australia occurred from February to July 2007 using four methods: electoral roll mail-out, approaches to schools and community groups, newspaper advertising, and other media involvement. Word of mouth communication was also assessed. A total of 810 callers were screened, with 53.5% eligible. Of those who were eligible and sent further information, 76.7% were willing to participate in the study and 75.1% were enrolled. The target for recruitment was 300 households, and this was achieved. The mail-out was the most effective method with respect to number of households randomised, while recruitment via schools had the highest yield (57.3%) and was the most cost effective when considering cost per household randomised (AUD$147.20). Yield and cost effectiveness were lowest for media advertising. The use of electoral roll mail-out and advertising via schools were effective in reaching households using untreated rainwater for drinking. Employing multiple strategies enabled success in achieving the recruitment target. In countries where electoral roll extracts are available to researchers, this method is likely to have a high yield for recruitment into community-based epidemiological studies.

  9. Optical Sensing of Weed Infestations at Harvest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barroso, Judit; McCallum, John; Long, Dan

    2017-10-19

    Kochia ( Kochia scoparia L.), Russian thistle ( Salsola tragus L.), and prickly lettuce ( Lactuca serriola L.) are economically important weeds infesting dryland wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) production systems in the western United States. Those weeds produce most of their seeds post-harvest. The objectives of this study were to determine the ability of an optical sensor, installed for on-the-go measurement of grain protein concentration, to detect the presence of green plant matter in flowing grain and assess the potential usefulness of this information for mapping weeds at harvest. Spectra of the grain stream were recorded continuously at a rate of 0.33 Hz during harvest of two spring wheat fields of 1.9 and 5.4 ha. All readings were georeferenced using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver with 1 m positional accuracy. Chlorophyll of green plant matter was detectable in the red (638-710 nm) waveband. Maps of the chlorophyll signal from both fields showed an overall agreement of 78.1% with reference maps, one constructed prior to harvest and the other at harvest time, both based on visual evaluations of the three green weed species conducted by experts. Information on weed distributions at harvest may be useful for controlling post-harvest using variable rate technology for herbicide applications.

  10. The Effect of Plant Cultivar, Growth Media, Harvest Method and Post Harvest Treatment on the Microbiology of Edible Crops

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummerick, Mary P.; Gates, Justin R.; Nguyen, Bao-Thang; Massa, Gioia D.; Wheeler, Raymond M.

    2011-01-01

    Systems for the growth of crops in closed environments are being developed and tested for potential use in space applications to provide a source of fresh food. Plant growth conditions, growth media composition and harvest methods can have an effect on the microbial population of the plant, and therefore should be considered along with the optimization of plant growth and harvest yields to ensure a safe and palatable food crop. This work examines the effect of plant cultivar, growth media, and harvest method on plant microbial populations. Twelve varieties of leafy greens and herbs were grown on a mixture of Fafard #2 and Arcillite in the pillow root containment system currently being considered for the VEGGIE plant growth unit developed by Orbitec. In addition, ,Sierra and Outredgeous lettuce varieties were grown in three different mixtures (Fafard #2, Ardllite, and Perlite/Vermiculite). The plants were analyzed for microbial density. Two harvest methods, "cut and come again" (CACA) and terminal harvest were also compared. In one set ofexpe'riments red leaf lettuce and mizuna were grown in pots in a Biomass Production System for education. Plants were harvested every two weeks by either method. Another set of experiments was performed using the rooting pillows to grow 5 varieties of leafy greens and cut harvesting at different intervals. Radishes were harvested and replanted at two-week intervals. Results indicate up to a 3 IOglO difference in microbial counts between some varieties of plants. Rooting medium resulted in an approximately 2 IOglO lower count in the lettuce grown in arscillite then those grown in the other mixtures. Harvest method and frequency had less impact on microbial counts only showing a significant increase in one variety of plant. Post harvest methods to decrease the bacterial counts on edible crops were investigated in these and other experiments. The effectiveness of PRO-SAN and UV-C radiation is compared.

  11. Assessment of the performance of water harvesting systems in semi-arid regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasage, Ralph

    2016-04-01

    Water harvesting is widely practiced and has the potential to improve water availability for domestic and agricultural use in semi-arid regions. New funds are becoming available to stimulate the implementation of water harvesting projects, for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and to help communities to adapt to climate change. For this, it is important to understand which factors determine the success of water harvesting techniques under different conditions. For this, we review the literature, including information on the crop yield impacts of water harvesting projects in semi-arid Africa and Asia. Results show that large water harvesting structures (> 500 m3) are less expensive than small structures, when taking into account investment costs, storage capacity and lifetimes. We also find that water harvesting improves crop yields significantly, and that the relative impact of water harvesting on crop yields is largest in low rainfall years. We also see that the governance, technical knowledge and initial investment are more demanding for the larger structures than for smaller structures, which may affect their spontaneous adoption and long term sustainability when managed by local communities. To support the selection of appropriate techniques, we present a decision framework based on case specific characteristics. This framework can also be used when reporting and evaluating the performance of water harvesting techniques, which is up to now quite limited in peer reviewed literature. Based on Bouma, J., Hegde, S.E., Lasage, R., (2016). Assessing the returns to water harvesting: A meta-analysis. Agricultural Water Management 163, 100-109. Lasage, R., Verburg P.H., (2015). Evaluation of small scale water harvesting techniques for semi-arid environments. Journal of Arid Environments 118, 48-57.

  12. Piezoelectric energy harvesting from broadband random vibrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adhikari, S; Friswell, M I; Inman, D J

    2009-01-01

    Energy harvesting for the purpose of powering low power electronic sensor systems has received explosive attention in the last few years. Most works using deterministic approaches focusing on using the piezoelectric effect to harvest ambient vibration energy have concentrated on cantilever beams at resonance using harmonic excitation. Here, using a stochastic approach, we focus on using a stack configuration and harvesting broadband vibration energy, a more practically available ambient source. It is assumed that the ambient base excitation is stationary Gaussian white noise, which has a constant power-spectral density across the frequency range considered. The mean power acquired from a piezoelectric vibration-based energy harvester subjected to random base excitation is derived using the theory of random vibrations. Two cases, namely the harvesting circuit with and without an inductor, have been considered. Exact closed-form expressions involving non-dimensional parameters of the electromechanical system have been given and illustrated using numerical examples

  13. Piezoelectric energy harvesting from broadband random vibrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adhikari, S.; Friswell, M. I.; Inman, D. J.

    2009-11-01

    Energy harvesting for the purpose of powering low power electronic sensor systems has received explosive attention in the last few years. Most works using deterministic approaches focusing on using the piezoelectric effect to harvest ambient vibration energy have concentrated on cantilever beams at resonance using harmonic excitation. Here, using a stochastic approach, we focus on using a stack configuration and harvesting broadband vibration energy, a more practically available ambient source. It is assumed that the ambient base excitation is stationary Gaussian white noise, which has a constant power-spectral density across the frequency range considered. The mean power acquired from a piezoelectric vibration-based energy harvester subjected to random base excitation is derived using the theory of random vibrations. Two cases, namely the harvesting circuit with and without an inductor, have been considered. Exact closed-form expressions involving non-dimensional parameters of the electromechanical system have been given and illustrated using numerical examples.

  14. A Galloping Energy Harvester with Attached Flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denissenko, Petr; Khovanov, Igor; Tucker-Harvey, Sam

    2017-11-01

    Aeroelastic energy harvesters are a promising technology for the operation of wireless sensors and microelectromechanical systems, as well as providing the possibility of harvesting wind energy in applications were conventional wind turbines are ineffective, such as in highly turbulent flows, or unreliable, such as in harsh environmental conditions. The development of aeroelastic energy harvesters to date has focused on the flutter of airfoils, the galloping of prismatic structures, and the vortex induced vibrations. We present a novel type of galloping energy harvester with the flow becoming attached when the oscillation amplitude is high enough. With the flow attached, the harvester blade acts closer to an aerofoil than a bluff body, which results in a higher efficiency. The dynamics of a prototype device has been characterised experimentally with the use of a motion tracking system. The flow structure in the vicinity of the device has been studied using smoke visualisation and PIV measurements. A lumped parameter mathematical model has been developed and related to the experimental results.

  15. Stand mid-diameter extraction mid-distances influence in the harvesting costs of Eucalyptus globulus forest system in the Chile central zone

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrios, Alonso; Lopez, Ana M; Nieto, Victor M

    2008-01-01

    A whole tree and in-wood chipping harvesting system was studied by modelling and dynamic simulation. The iThink environment was used to build an application for simulating the operation of the harvesting system, using both deterministic and stochastic models (Isee systems, Inc. 2007). The variables used in this study were the mean diameter at breast height and the mean skidding distance of the stand. In this way, the influence of these variables in the systems cost per cubic meter was determined. This study exhibits a technical approach for establishing more appropriate payment fees, considering that the harvesting costs vary according to the stand characteristics.

  16. The abundance and diversity of heterotrophic bacteria as a function of harvesting frequency of duckweed (Lemna minor L.) in recirculating aquaculture systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ardiansyah, A; Fotedar, R

    2016-07-01

    Duckweed (Lemna minor L.) is a potential biofilter for nutrient removal and acts as a substrate for heterotrophic bacteria in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Here, we determined the effects of harvesting frequency of duckweed on heterotrophic bacteria in RAS. Twelve independent RAS consisting of fish-rearing tank, biofilter tank and waste-collection tank were used to study the interactions between duckweed harvest frequencies up to 6 days and the composition, abundance and diversity of heterotrophic bacteria. After 36 days, heterotrophic bacteria in the biofilter tank were primarily Gram-negative cocci or ovoid, coccobacilli, Gram-negative bacilli and Gram-positive bacilli. Most bacterial genera were Bacillus and Pseudomonas while the least common was Acinetobacter. Duckweed harvested after every 2 days produced the highest specific growth rates (SGR) and total harvested biomass of duckweed, but harboured less abundant bacteria, whereas 6-day harvests had a higher growth index (GI) of duckweed than 2-day harvests, but caused a poor relationship between SGR and biomass harvest with the abundance and diversity of heterotrophic bacteria. Stronger correlations (R(2)  > 0·65) between duckweed SGR and biomass harvest with the heterotrophic bacteria diversity were observed at 4-day harvest frequency and the control. This study provides significant information on the interaction between the harvest frequency of duckweed and the composition, abundance and diversity of heterotrophic bacteria in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Different harvest frequencies significantly influence the abundance and diversity of heterotrophic bacteria, which in turn may influence the nitrogen uptake efficiency of the system. The research is useful in improving the efficiency of removing nitrogenous metabolites in RAS directly by the duckweed and associated heterotrophic bacteria. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  17. Energy harvesting from hydraulic pressure fluctuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cunefare, K A; Skow, E A; Erturk, A; Savor, J; Verma, N; Cacan, M R

    2013-01-01

    State-of-the-art hydraulic hose and piping systems employ integral sensor nodes for structural health monitoring to avoid catastrophic failures. Energy harvesting in hydraulic systems could enable self-powered wireless sensor nodes for applications such as energy-autonomous structural health monitoring and prognosis. Hydraulic systems inherently have a high energy intensity associated with the mean pressure and flow. Accompanying the mean pressure is the dynamic pressure ripple, which is caused by the action of pumps and actuators. Pressure ripple is a deterministic source with a periodic time-domain behavior conducive to energy harvesting. An energy harvester prototype was designed for generating low-power electricity from pressure ripples. The prototype employed an axially-poled off-the-shelf piezoelectric stack. A housing isolated the stack from the hydraulic fluid while maintaining a mechanical coupling allowing for dynamic-pressure-induced deflection of the stack. The prototype exhibited an off-resonance energy harvesting problem since the fundamental resonance of the piezoelectric stack was much higher than the frequency content of the pressure ripple. The prototype was designed to provide a suitable power output for powering sensors with a maximum output of 1.2 mW. This work also presents electromechanical model simulations and experimental characterization of the piezoelectric power output from the pressure ripple in terms of the force transmitted into the harvester. (paper)

  18. Informatic System for Improve of Sugarcane Harvest in Cubans Sugar Factories

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandro Álvarez-Navarro

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The restructure of the sugar industry, led to the implementation of efficient methods in order to enhance the sugar cane harvest in the agroindustrial process. The Information and Communications Technology (ICT, associated to optimization methods, may allow take the right decisions at different levels of the productive process. The organization of the sugar cane harvest is an important moment within this scheme. The objective of this  investigation is to determine the optimal cutting strategy considering the new changes existing that permit obtain higher amount of sugar using the same quantity of raw material. Has been implemented a new informatic system, supported by a new branch of the goal programming with lexicographic priorities. The experimental results show that there is an impact at the planning level, as the cutting out of date decreases until a 15 %, and the sugar production increases in 2 043,89 t. 

  19. Finite element analysis of hybrid energy harvesting of piezoelectric and electromagnetic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Yazid Muhammad Ammar Faris

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Harvesting energy from ambient vibrations is a highly required method because of the wide range of available sources that produce vibration energy application from industrial machinery to human motion application. In this paper, the implementation of harvesting energy from two technologies to form a hybrid energy harvester system was analyzed. These two technologies involve the piezoelectric harvesting energy and the electromagnetic harvesting energy. A finite element model was developed using the Ansys software with the harmonic analysis solver to analyze and examine hybrid harvesting energy system. Both power output generated from the magnet and the piezoelectric is then combined to form one unit of energy. Further, it was found that the result shows the system generate the maximum power output of 14.85 μW from 100 Hz, 4.905 m/s2, and 0.6 cm3 for resonance frequency, acceleration, and the volume respectively from the optimal energy harvester design. Normalized Power Density (NPD result of 10.29 kgs/m3 comparable with other literature also can be used in energy harvesting system for vibration application.

  20. Chemical composition of rainwater in a tropical urban area of northern India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jawad Al Obaidy, Abdul Hameed M.; Joshi, Himanshu

    Rainwater samples during the monsoon of 2001 and 2002 were collected from Roorkee urban area, a medium sized "town group" situated on the right bank of Solani River, a tributary of the Ganga River, near the Himalayan foothills and analyzed for EC, pH, TSS, TDS and major ions. The median value of pH was 7.05, well above 5.6, which is the reference pH. The ratios of SO 42-+NO 3- and Ca 2++Mg 2+ (TA/TC) have been considered for acidity. In this study, ratio of TA/TC is quite below 1.0, indicating alkaline nature of rainwater. The concentration of ions in rain water have been observed to follow the pattern Ca 2+>HCO 3->Cl ->NO 3->Na +>Mg 2+>SO 42->K +. In order to estimate the marine and non-marine contribution, sea salt fraction has been calculated taking Na + as reference. All ionic ratios have been found to be higher than the recommended sea water ratios in all three types of land use, viz. residential, commercial and industrial, suggesting a significant contribution of non-marine origin for these components. A comparison with the data of the other Indian sites validates the inverse relation of Cl - and Na + with distance from the sea and highlights higher Ca 2+ concentration and lower SO 42- concentration.

  1. A nanoscale bio-inspired light-harvesting system developed from self-assembled alkyl-functionalized metallochlorin nano-aggregates

    KAUST Repository

    Ocakoǧlu, Kasim; Joya, Khurram Saleem; Harputlu, Ersan; Tarnowska, Anna; Gryko, Daniel T.

    2014-01-01

    Self-assembled supramolecular organization of nano-structured biomimetic light-harvesting modules inside solid-state nano-templates can be exploited to develop excellent light-harvesting materials for artificial photosynthetic devices. We present here a hybrid light-harvesting system mimicking the chlorosomal structures of the natural photosynthetic system using synthetic zinc chlorin units (ZnChl-C6, ZnChl-C12 and ZnChl-C 18) that are self-aggregated inside the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nano-channel membranes. AAO nano-templates were modified with a TiO2 matrix and functionalized with long hydrophobic chains to facilitate the formation of supramolecular Zn-chlorin aggregates. The transparent Zn-chlorin nano-aggregates inside the alkyl-TiO2 modified AAO nano-channels have a diameter of ∼120 nm in a 60 μm length channel. UV-Vis studies and fluorescence emission spectra further confirm the formation of the supramolecular ZnChl aggregates from monomer molecules inside the alkyl-functionalized nano-channels. Our results prove that the novel and unique method can be used to produce efficient and stable light-harvesting assemblies for effective solar energy capture through transparent and stable nano-channel ceramic materials modified with bio-mimetic molecular self-assembled nano-aggregates. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.

  2. Vibration produced by hand-held olive electrical harvesters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emanuele Cerruto

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper reports the results of some laboratory and field tests aimed at assessing the acceleration levels transmitted to the hand-arm system by electric portable harvesters for olive. Four harvesting heads, different for shape and kinematic system, and five bars, different for diameter, length and material (aluminium and carbon fibre, were used in assembling eleven harvesters. The vibrations were measured in two points, next to the handgrips. The laboratory tests allowed the evaluation of the acceleration levels in standard controlled conditions, while the field tests allowed the assessing of the effects of the tree canopy with respect to the no load running. The laboratory tests showed that in reducing the vibration level plays a major role the kinematic system of the harvesting head and then the bar material. The classical flap-type harvester produced accelerations of around 20 m/s2, while by using a harvesting head with two parts in opposite movement, the accelerations were lowered to about 6 m/s2. The use of carbon fibres for the bars, besides the reduction in weight, produced also a reduction in acceleration (from 21 to 16 m/s2. The field tests proved that the tree canopy had a negative effect on the vibrations transmitted to the hand-arm system, especially when the aluminium bar of small diameter was used.

  3. African Urban Harvest

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Urban Harvest, a system-wide initiative of the Consultative Group on Agricultural ...... and urban old, using criteria of population density, land availability, and the prevalence of crop ...... Contact between milk and containers or the environment;.

  4. Socio-economic and psychological predictors of domestic greywater and rainwater collection: Evidence from Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Anthony M.; Spash, Clive L.; Measham, Thomas G.

    2009-12-01

    SummaryThe importance of securing water supply necessitates that all options be explored. Research has indicated that demand on water catchments can be substantially decreased when a large proportion of households reuse greywater and/or install rainwater tanks. This paper reports on an internet survey completed by 354 households residing in the Australian Capital Territory and surrounding regions. Statistical analyses examined the relationship between socio-economic and psychological variables and the likelihood of the garden being irrigated with greywater and/or rainwater. The results show income, gender, age and education could not differentiate residents who were irrigating their garden with water from a tank from residents who were not. Residents who used tank water on their gardens had a higher self-reported understanding of a range of water supply options. Female participants and lower income residents were more likely to use greywater on their garden. Participants who irrigated the garden with greywater were more likely to judge various other water collection and recycling proposals as being appropriate. General concerns about water collection and reuse risks were not found to predict which households used tank water and/or greywater on their garden.

  5. Complex epsilon-near-zero metamaterials for broadband light harvesting systems

    KAUST Repository

    Bonifazi, Marcella; Tian, Yi; Fratalocchi, Andrea

    2018-01-01

    We engineered an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material from suitably disordered metallic nanostructures. We create a new class of dispersionless composite materials that efficiently harnesses white light. By means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Photoluminescence (PLE) measurements we experimentally demonstrate that this nanomaterial increases up to a record value the absorption of ultra-thin light harvesting films at visible and infrared wavelengths. Moreover, we obtained a 170% broadband increase of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) when these ENZ materials are inserted in an energy-harvesting module. We developed an inexpensive electrochemical deposition process that enables large-scale production of this material for energy-harvesting applications.

  6. Complex epsilon-near-zero metamaterials for broadband light harvesting systems

    KAUST Repository

    Bonifazi, Marcella

    2018-02-17

    We engineered an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) material from suitably disordered metallic nanostructures. We create a new class of dispersionless composite materials that efficiently harnesses white light. By means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Photoluminescence (PLE) measurements we experimentally demonstrate that this nanomaterial increases up to a record value the absorption of ultra-thin light harvesting films at visible and infrared wavelengths. Moreover, we obtained a 170% broadband increase of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) when these ENZ materials are inserted in an energy-harvesting module. We developed an inexpensive electrochemical deposition process that enables large-scale production of this material for energy-harvesting applications.

  7. Evaluation of reinitialization-free nonvolatile computer systems for energy-harvesting Internet of things applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onizawa, Naoya; Tamakoshi, Akira; Hanyu, Takahiro

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, reinitialization-free nonvolatile computer systems are designed and evaluated for energy-harvesting Internet of things (IoT) applications. In energy-harvesting applications, as power supplies generated from renewable power sources cause frequent power failures, data processed need to be backed up when power failures occur. Unless data are safely backed up before power supplies diminish, reinitialization processes are required when power supplies are recovered, which results in low energy efficiencies and slow operations. Using nonvolatile devices in processors and memories can realize a faster backup than a conventional volatile computer system, leading to a higher energy efficiency. To evaluate the energy efficiency upon frequent power failures, typical computer systems including processors and memories are designed using 90 nm CMOS or CMOS/magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) technologies. Nonvolatile ARM Cortex-M0 processors with 4 kB MRAMs are evaluated using a typical computing benchmark program, Dhrystone, which shows a few order-of-magnitude reductions in energy in comparison with a volatile processor with SRAM.

  8. Modelling and Testing of the Piezoelectric Beam as Energy Harvesting System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koszewnik Andrzej

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes modelling and testing of the piezoelectric beam as energy harvesting system. The cantilever beam with two piezo-elements glued onto its surface is considered in the paper. As result of carried out modal analysis of the beam the natural frequencies and modes shapes are determined. The obtained results in the way mentioned above allow to estimate such location of the piezo-actuator on the beam where the piezo generates maximal values of modal control forces. Experimental investigations carried out in the laboratory allow to verify results of natural frequencies obtained during simulation and also testing of the beam in order to obtain voltage from vibration with help of the piezo-harvester. The obtained values of voltage stored on the capacitor C0 shown that the best results are achieved for the beam excited to vibration with third natural frequency, but the worst results for the beam oscillating with the first natural frequency.

  9. Innovative thermal energy harvesting for future autonomous applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monfray, Stephane

    2013-12-01

    As communicating autonomous systems market is booming, the role of energy harvesting will be a key enabler. As example, heat is one of the most abundant energy sources that can be converted into electricity in order to power circuits. Harvesting systems that use wasted heat open new ways to power autonomous sensors when the energy consumption is low, or to create systems of power generators when the conversion efficiency is high. The combination of different technologies (low power μ-processors, μ-batteries, radio, sensors...) with new energy harvesters compatible with large varieties of use-cases with allow to address this booming market. Thanks to the conjunction of ultra-low power electronic development, 3D technologies & Systems in Package approaches, the integration of autonomous sensors and electronics with ambient energy harvesting will be achievable. The applications are very wide, from environment and industrial sensors to medical portable applications, and the Internet of things may also represent in the future a several billions units market.

  10. Innovative thermal energy harvesting for future autonomous applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monfray, Stephane

    2013-01-01

    As communicating autonomous systems market is booming, the role of energy harvesting will be a key enabler. As example, heat is one of the most abundant energy sources that can be converted into electricity in order to power circuits. Harvesting systems that use wasted heat open new ways to power autonomous sensors when the energy consumption is low, or to create systems of power generators when the conversion efficiency is high. The combination of different technologies (low power μ-processors, μ-batteries, radio, sensors...) with new energy harvesters compatible with large varieties of use-cases with allow to address this booming market. Thanks to the conjunction of ultra-low power electronic development, 3D technologies and Systems in Package approaches, the integration of autonomous sensors and electronics with ambient energy harvesting will be achievable. The applications are very wide, from environment and industrial sensors to medical portable applications, and the Internet of things may also represent in the future a several billions units market

  11. Effectiveness and cost of recruitment strategies for a community-based randomised controlled trial among rainwater drinkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cunliffe David

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Community-based recruitment is challenging particularly if the sampling frame is not easily defined as in the case of people who drink rainwater. Strategies for contacting participants must be carefully considered to maximise generalisability and minimise bias of the results. This paper assesses the recruitment strategies for a 1-year double-blinded randomised trial on drinking untreated rainwater. The effectiveness of the recruitment strategies and associated costs are described. Methods Community recruitment of households from Adelaide, Australia occurred from February to July 2007 using four methods: electoral roll mail-out, approaches to schools and community groups, newspaper advertising, and other media involvement. Word of mouth communication was also assessed. Results A total of 810 callers were screened, with 53.5% eligible. Of those who were eligible and sent further information, 76.7% were willing to participate in the study and 75.1% were enrolled. The target for recruitment was 300 households, and this was achieved. The mail-out was the most effective method with respect to number of households randomised, while recruitment via schools had the highest yield (57.3% and was the most cost effective when considering cost per household randomised (AUD$147.20. Yield and cost effectiveness were lowest for media advertising. Conclusion The use of electoral roll mail-out and advertising via schools were effective in reaching households using untreated rainwater for drinking. Employing multiple strategies enabled success in achieving the recruitment target. In countries where electoral roll extracts are available to researchers, this method is likely to have a high yield for recruitment into community-based epidemiological studies.

  12. Harvester development for new high yielding SRC crops and markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-12-01

    Details are given of a project to develop a harvesting system that can produce fuel economically in a single pass to a required specification at a cost that is profitable for the grower while minimising the cost of the product. The project objectives listed include the development of a harvester drive chain and feeding systems to allow harvesting of the higher yielding crops now produced in the UK, determination of the most economic harvesting cycle for SRC crops, and production of fuels suitable for co-firing with coal in pulverised fuel systems or for gasification. The work programme and project conclusions are discussed

  13. Experimental Analysis of a Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting System for Harmonic, Random, and Sine on Random Vibration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cryns, Jackson W.; Hatchell, Brian K.; Santiago-Rojas, Emiliano; Silvers, Kurt L.

    2013-07-01

    Formal journal article Experimental analysis of a piezoelectric energy harvesting system for harmonic, random, and sine on random vibration Abstract: Harvesting power with a piezoelectric vibration powered generator using a full-wave rectifier conditioning circuit is experimentally compared for varying sinusoidal, random and sine on random (SOR) input vibration scenarios. Additionally, the implications of source vibration characteristics on harvester design are discussed. Studies in vibration harvesting have yielded numerous alternatives for harvesting electrical energy from vibrations but piezoceramics arose as the most compact, energy dense means of energy transduction. The rise in popularity of harvesting energy from ambient vibrations has made piezoelectric generators commercially available. Much of the available literature focuses on maximizing harvested power through nonlinear processing circuits that require accurate knowledge of generator internal mechanical and electrical characteristics and idealization of the input vibration source, which cannot be assumed in general application. In this manuscript, variations in source vibration and load resistance are explored for a commercially available piezoelectric generator. We characterize the source vibration by its acceleration response for repeatability and transcription to general application. The results agree with numerical and theoretical predictions for in previous literature that load optimal resistance varies with transducer natural frequency and source type, and the findings demonstrate that significant gains are seen with lower tuned transducer natural frequencies for similar source amplitudes. Going beyond idealized steady state sinusoidal and simplified random vibration input, SOR testing allows for more accurate representation of real world ambient vibration. It is shown that characteristic interactions from more complex vibrational sources significantly alter power generation and power processing

  14. Integrating net-zero energy and high-performance green building technologies into contemporary housing in a cold climate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin Yoklic; Mark Knaebe; Karen Martinson

    2010-01-01

    The objectives of this research project are (1) to show how the sustainable resources of forest biomass, solar energy, harvested rainwater, and small-diameter logs can be integrated to a system that provides most or all of the energy and water needs of a typical cold climate residential household, and (2) to effectively interpret the results and convey the sustainable...

  15. Development of energy harvesting modules based on piezoceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kulkarni, V.; Waechter, D.; Ben Mrad, R. [Toronto Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; El-Diraby, T. [Toronto Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Civil Engineering; Somayajula, N.; Nemana, S.; Prasad, E. [Sensor Technology Ltd., Collingwood, ON (Canada)

    2009-07-01

    Self-powered devices can overcome the current reliance and limitations of finite-supply batteries. They have potential in developing next-generation wireless electronics for a wide variety of applications such as health monitoring in civil infrastructure, micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) sensor arrays for automotive and aerospace applications, and sensor arrays for environmental control. These energy harvesting devices capture the ambient energy surrounding a system and convert it into usable electrical energy. A common method of power harvesting is to convert ambient mechanical vibrations into electricity through the use of piezoelectric materials such as piezoceramics (PZT). This paper highlighted some of the recent developments in piezoceramic energy harvesting along with proposed circuits that can improve the performance of energy harvesters. The successful storage and use of energy generated by various harvesting devices requires the use of specific circuitry to optimize the output from the devices. Energy harvesting circuitry was characterized in terms of energy storage; AC/DC converter; DC-DC step down converter; and non-linear voltage processing. The patent activity and applications on piezoceramic energy harvesting was also summarized. It was concluded that despite significant research, piezoceramic energy harvesting remains an emerging technology that requires considerable advancement before it can be commercially viable. The power generated by current piezoelectric harvesters is too low for many applications. Alternative piezoceramic materials and their characteristics must be investigated. 31 refs., 1 tab., 4 figs.

  16. The dynamics of a harvested predator-prey system with Holling type IV functional response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xinxin; Huang, Qingdao

    2018-05-31

    The paper aims to investigate the dynamical behavior of a predator-prey system with Holling type IV functional response in which both the species are subject to capturing. We mainly consider how the harvesting affects equilibria, stability, limit cycles and bifurcations in this system. We adopt the method of qualitative and quantitative analysis, which is based on the dynamical theory, bifurcation theory and numerical simulation. The boundedness of solutions, the existence and stability of equilibrium points of the system are further studied. Based on the Sotomayor's theorem, the existence of transcritical bifurcation and saddle-node bifurcation are derived. We use the normal form theorem to analyze the Hopf bifurcation. Simulation results show that the first Lyapunov coefficient is negative and a stable limit cycle may bifurcate. Numerical simulations are performed to make analytical studies more complete. This work illustrates that using the harvesting effort as control parameter can change the behaviors of the system, which may be useful for the biological management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Investigation of geometric design in piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems diaphragms for ultrasonic energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Qiongfeng; Wang, Tao; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Lee, Chengkuo

    2016-05-01

    Acoustic energy transfer (AET) has been widely used for contactless energy delivery to implantable devices. However, most of the energy harvesters (ultrasonic receivers) for AET are macro-scale transducers with large volume and limited operation bandwidth. Here, we propose and investigate two microelectromechanical systems diaphragm based piezoelectric ultrasonic energy harvesters (PUEHs) as an alternative for AET. The proposed PUEHs consist of micro-scale diaphragm array with different geometric parameter design. Diaphragms in PUEH-1 have large length to width ratio to achieve broadband property, while its energy harvesting performance is compromised. Diaphragms in PUEH-2 have smaller length to width ratio and thinner thickness to achieve both broadband property and good energy harvesting performance. Both PUEHs have miniaturized size and wide operation bandwidth that are ideally suitable to be integrated as power source for implantable biomedical devices. PUEH-1 has a merged -6 dB bandwidth of 74.5% with a central frequency of 350 kHz. PUEH-2 has two separate -6 dB bandwidth of 73.7%/30.8% with central frequencies of 285 kHz/650 kHz. They can adapt to various ultrasonic sources with different working frequency spectrum. Maximum output power is 34.3 nW and 84.3 nW for PUEH-1 and PUEH-2 at 1 mW/cm2 ultrasound intensity input, respectively. The associated power density is 0.734 μW/cm2 and 4.1 μW/cm2, respectively. Better energy harvesting performance is achieved for PUEH-2 because of the optimized length to width ratio and thickness design. Both PUEHs offer more alignment flexibility with more than 40% power when they are in the range of the ultrasound transmitter.

  18. THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF MONITORING IN TERMS RAINWATER IN 2013–2014 IN THE CITY OF BYDGOSZCZ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafał Pasela

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper shows the results of analysis distribution of the amount and rainfall intensity in Bydgoszcz based on network measurements of rain, which is operated by the Municipal Water Supply and sewers in Bydgoszcz. The system consists of six rain-gauges type TPG-036-H24 by A-STER, which are equipped with electronic data recording system with GPRS transmission to a central server. A record of the amount of rainfall measurement results is carried out in 2-minute intervals with an accuracy of 0.1 millimeters. The extreme highs and the intensity of rainfall registered in the audited period was analyzed. The results were presented in a form of tables and graphs. The intensity measurements and the amount of rainfall were used by a dense network of rainwater, which allows you to get valuable results, essential in the analysis of the functioning of municipal sewer system.

  19. Harvester development for new high yielding SRC crops and markets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paulson, Mark

    2005-07-01

    This report describes the development of harvesting equipment for short rotation cultivation (SRC) crops produced in the UK that can produce fuel to a required specification in a single pass at a cost that is profitable for the grower while minimising the cost of the product. Details are given of the manufacture and installation of new components for large crop harvesting, and production of fuel suitable for co-firing in a coal combustion system using pulverised fuel and fuel suitable for gasification. The development of the drive chain to cope with the higher yielding crops, field tests on SRC crops, and determination of the most economic harvesting system are discussed along with the remanufacture of the chipping drum, and production of market chip samples. Harvesting guidance and an economic analysis of harvesting systems are presented.

  20. Harvester development for new high yielding SRC crops and markets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paulson, Mark

    2005-01-01

    This report describes the development of harvesting equipment for short rotation cultivation (SRC) crops produced in the UK that can produce fuel to a required specification in a single pass at a cost that is profitable for the grower while minimising the cost of the product. Details are given of the manufacture and installation of new components for large crop harvesting, and production of fuel suitable for co-firing in a coal combustion system using pulverised fuel and fuel suitable for gasification. The development of the drive chain to cope with the higher yielding crops, field tests on SRC crops, and determination of the most economic harvesting system are discussed along with the remanufacture of the chipping drum, and production of market chip samples. Harvesting guidance and an economic analysis of harvesting systems are presented

  1. Global Analysis of Response in the Piezomagnetoelastic Energy Harvester System under Harmonic and Poisson White Noise Excitations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yue Xiao-Le; Xu Wei; Zhang Ying; Wang Liang

    2015-01-01

    The piezomagnetoelastic energy harvester system subjected to harmonic and Poisson white noise excitations is studied by using the generalized cell mapping method. The transient and stationary probability density functions (PDFs) of response based on the global viewpoint are obtained by the matrix analysis method. Monte Carlo simulation results verify the accuracy of this method. It can be observed that evolutionary direction of transient and stationary PDFs is in accordance with the unstable manifold for this system, and a stochastic P-bifurcation occurs as the intensity of Poisson white noise increases. This study presents an efficient numerical tool to solve the stochastic response of a three-dimensional dynamical system and provides a new idea to analyze the energy harvester system. (paper)

  2. Energy Harvesting for Structural Health Monitoring Sensor Networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, G.; Farrar, C. R.; Todd, M. D.; Hodgkiss, T.; Rosing, T.

    2007-02-26

    This report has been developed based on information exchanges at a 2.5-day workshop on energy harvesting for embedded structural health monitoring (SHM) sensing systems that was held June 28-30, 2005, at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The workshop was hosted by the LANL/UCSD Engineering Institute (EI). This Institute is an education- and research-focused collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Jacobs School of Engineering. A Statistical Pattern Recognition paradigm for SHM is first presented and the concept of energy harvesting for embedded sensing systems is addressed with respect to the data acquisition portion of this paradigm. Next, various existing and emerging sensing modalities used for SHM and their respective power requirements are summarized, followed by a discussion of SHM sensor network paradigms, power requirements for these networks and power optimization strategies. Various approaches to energy harvesting and energy storage are discussed and limitations associated with the current technology are addressed. This discussion also addresses current energy harvesting applications and system integration issues. The report concludes by defining some future research directions and possible technology demonstrations that are aimed at transitioning the concept of energy harvesting for embedded SHM sensing systems from laboratory research to field-deployed engineering prototypes.

  3. Sustainability of Mangrove Harvesting: How do Harvesters' Perceptions Differ from Ecological Analysis?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura López-Hoffman

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available To harvest biological resources sustainably, it is first necessary to understand what "sustainability" means in an ecological context, and what it means to the people who use the resources. As a case study, we examined the extractive logging of the mangrove Rhizophora mangle in the Río Limón area of Lake Maracaibo, in western Venezuela. The ecological definition of sustainable harvesting is harvesting that allows population numbers to be maintained or to increase over time. In interviews, the harvesters defined sustainable harvesting as levels permitting the maintenance of the mangrove population over two human generations, about 50 yr. In Río Limón, harvesters extract a combination of small adult and juvenile trees. Harvesting rates ranged from 7-35% of small adult trees. These harvesting levels would be sustainable according to the harvester's definition as long as juvenile harvesting was less than 40%. However, some harvesting levels that would be sustainable according to the harvesters were ecologically unsustainable, i.e., eventually causing declines in mangrove population numbers. It was also determined that the structure of mangrove forests was significantly affected by harvesting; even areas harvested at low, ecologically sustainable intensities had significantly fewer adult trees than undisturbed sites. Western Venezuela has no organized timber industry, so mangrove logs are used in many types of construction. A lagging economy and a lack of alternative construction materials make mangrove harvesting inevitable, and for local people, an economic necessity. This creates a trade-off between preserving the ecological characteristics of the mangrove population and responding to human needs. In order to resolve this situation, we recommended a limited and adaptive mangrove harvesting regime. We also suggest that harvesters could participate in community-based management programs as harvesting monitors.

  4. Distributed simulation of long-term hydrological processes in a medium-sized periurban catchment under changing land use and rainwater management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Labbas, Mériem; Braud, Isabelle; Branger, Flora; Kralisch, Sven

    2013-04-01

    Growing urbanization and related anthropogenic processes have a high potential to influence hydrological process dynamics. Typical consequences are an increase of surface imperviousness and modifications of water flow paths due to artificial channels and barriers (combined and separated system, sewer overflow device, roads, ditches, etc.). Periurban catchments, at the edge of large cities, are especially affected by fast anthropogenic modifications. They usually consist of a combination of natural areas, rural areas with dispersed settlements and urban areas mostly covered by built zones and spots of natural surfaces. In the context of the European Water Framework Directive (2000) and the Floods Directive (2007), integrated and sustainable solutions are needed to reduce flooding risks and river pollution at the scale of urban conglomerations or whole catchments. Their thorough management requires models able to assess the vulnerability of the territory and to compare the impact of different rainwater management options and planning issues. To address this question, we propose a methodology based on a multi-scale distributed hydrological modelling approach. It aims at quantifying the impact of ongoing urbanization and stormwater management on the long-term hydrological cycle in medium-sized periurban watershed. This method focuses on the understanding and formalization of dominant periurban hydrological processes from small scales (few ha to few km2) to larger scales (few hundred km2). The main objectives are to 1) simulate both urban and rural hydrological processes and 2) test the effects of different long-term land use and water management scenarios. The method relies on several tools and data: a distributed hydrological model adapted to the characteristics of periurban areas, land use and land cover maps from different dates (past, present, future) and information about rainwater management collected from local authorities. For the application of the method, the

  5. Broadband piezoelectric energy harvesting using nonlinear magnetic forces; Bandbreitensteigerung von piezoelektrischen Energy Harvesting Systemen durch Magnetkraefte

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Westermann, Henrik; Neubauer, Marcus; Wallaschek, Joerg [Hannover Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Dynamik und Schwingungen

    2012-07-15

    Using ambient energy by piezoelectric energy harvesting systems received much attention over the last years. Most vibration-based generators produce a sufficient power only if the transducer is excited in its resonance frequency. The use of magnetic forces suggests a promising strategy to increase the efficiency. This paper presents different ways for broadband piezoelectric energy harvesting using nonlinear magnetic forces. (orig.)

  6. Production economics of harvesting young hardwood stands in central Appalachia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaoxiang Li; Jingxin Wang; Gary W. Miller; Joe McNeel

    2004-01-01

    Three harvesting systems of chainsaw/cable skidder, fell-buncher/grapple skidder, and harvester/forwarder were simulated in harvesting three hardwood stands of 30 to 50 years old in central Appalachia. Stands were generated by using a stand generator and harvesting prescriptions included clearcut, shelterwood cut, selective cut, diameter limit cut, and crop tree...

  7. Implantação de sistema de aproveitamento de água pluvial para fins não potáveis em residências na cidade de São Paulo

    OpenAIRE

    Rondon, Giuliana Gaggini; Marcondes, Marta Angela; Souza, Vanessa Aparecida Feijó de; Itaya, Nair Massumi; Gonçalves, Andréia Maria Martarello

    2016-01-01

    The shortage of water makes this natural resource increasingly relevant for people. Therefore, the population needs to be aware of how to use water rationally and understand the new selective water supply systems. The objective of this study was to implement a rainwater harvesting system based on directing the water collected by roof gutters to a cistern. The system attended satisfactorily the demand for non-potable water for garden watering and washing of household service areas, reducing th...

  8. Computer Vision for Timber Harvesting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahl, Anders Lindbjerg

    The goal of this thesis is to investigate computer vision methods for timber harvesting operations. The background for developing computer vision for timber harvesting is to document origin of timber and to collect qualitative and quantitative parameters concerning the timber for efficient harvest...... segments. The purpose of image segmentation is to make the basis for more advanced computer vision methods like object recognition and classification. Our second method concerns image classification and we present a method where we classify small timber samples to tree species based on Active Appearance...... to the development of the logTracker system the described methods have a general applicability making them useful for many other computer vision problems....

  9. PRESTO: online calculation of carbon in harvested wood products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coeli M. Hoover; Sarah J. Beukema; Donald C.E. Robinson; Katherine M. Kellock; Diana A. Abraham

    2014-01-01

    Carbon stored in harvested wood products is recognized under international carbon accounting protocols, and some crediting systems may permit the inclusion of harvested wood products when calculating carbon sequestration. For managers and landowners, however, estimating carbon stored in harvested wood products may be difficult. PRESTO (PRoduct EStimation Tool Online)...

  10. A triple hybrid micropower generator with simultaneous multi-mode energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uluşan, H.; Chamanian, S.; Pathirana, W. P. M. R.; Zorlu, Ö.; Muhtaroğlu, A.; Külah, H.

    2018-01-01

    This study presents a triple hybrid energy harvesting system that combines harvested power from thermoelectric (TE), vibration-based electromagnetic (EM) and piezoelectric (PZT) harvesters into a single DC supply. A power management circuit is designed and implemented in 180 nm standard CMOS technology based on the distinct requirements of each harvester, and is terminated with a Schottky diode to avoid reverse current flow. The system topology hence supports simultaneous power generation and delivery from low and high frequency vibrations as well as temperature differences in the environment. The ultra-low DC voltage harvested from TE generator is boosted with a cross-coupled charge-pump driven by an LC oscillator with fully-integrated center-tapped differential inductors. The EM harvester output was rectified with a self-powered and low drop-out AC/DC doubler circuit. The PZT interface electronics benefits from peak-to-peak cycle of the harvested voltage through a negative voltage converter followed by synchronous power extraction and DC-to-DC conversion through internal switches, and an external inductor. The hybrid system was tested with a wearable in-house EM energy harvester placed wrist of a jogger, a commercial low volume PZT harvester, and DC supply as the TE generator output. The system generates more than 1.2 V output for load resistances higher than 50 kΩ, which corresponds to 24 μW to power wearable sensors. Simultaneous multi-mode operation achieves higher voltage and power compared to stand-alone harvesting circuits, and generates up to 110 μW of output power. This is the first hybrid harvester circuit that simultaneously extracts energy from three independent sources, and delivers a single DC output.

  11. Rectifier Design Challenges for RF Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Collado

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The design of wireless power transfer (WPT and energy harvesting (EH solutions poses different challenges towards achieving maximum RF-DC conversion efficiency in these systems. This paper covers several selected challenges when developing WPT and electromagnetic EH solutions, such as the design of multiband and broadband rectifiers, the minimization of the effect that load and input power variations may have on the system performance and finally the most optimum power combining mechanisms that can be used when dealing with multi-element rectifiers.

  12. Dynamics analysis of a predator-prey system with harvesting prey and disease in prey species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Xin-You; Qin, Ni-Ni; Huo, Hai-Feng

    2018-12-01

    In this paper, a predator-prey system with harvesting prey and disease in prey species is given. In the absence of time delay, the existence and stability of all equilibria are investigated. In the presence of time delay, some sufficient conditions of the local stability of the positive equilibrium and the existence of Hopf bifurcation are obtained by analysing the corresponding characteristic equation, and the properties of Hopf bifurcation are given by using the normal form theory and centre manifold theorem. Furthermore, an optimal harvesting policy is investigated by applying the Pontryagin's Maximum Principle. Numerical simulations are performed to support our analytic results.

  13. Increased container-breeding mosquito risk owing to drought-induced changes in water harvesting and storage in Brisbane, Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trewin, Brendan J; Kay, Brian H; Darbro, Jonathan M; Hurst, Tim P

    2013-12-01

    Extended drought conditions in south-east Queensland during the early 2000s have resulted in a culture of water harvesting and legislated water restrictions. Aedes notoscriptus is a container-breeding mosquito vector of Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses. From 2008-2009, the larval habitats and seasonal abundance of domestic container-breeding mosquitoes were recorded from three suburbs of Brisbane. A knowledge, attitudes and practice questionnaire was administered to householders. A low-cost, desktop methodology was used to predict the proportion of shaded premises compared with front-of-property estimates. We highlight changes in the frequency of container categories for A. notoscriptus as a response to human behavioural changes to drought. Garden accoutrements, discarded household items and water storage containers accounted for 66.2% (525/793) of positive containers and 77.5% (73 441/94 731) of all immature mosquitoes. Of all household premises surveyed, 52.6% (550/1046) contained rainwater tanks and 29.4% (308/1046) harvested water in other containers, contrasting with a previous 1995 survey where neither category was observed. Both Premise Condition Index and shade directly correlated with positive premises. Human response to drought has resulted in new habitats for domestic container-breeding mosquitoes. This recent trend of prolific water storage is similar to earlier years (1904-1943) in Brisbane when Aedes aegypti was present and dengue epidemics occurred.

  14. RAINWATER RETENTION ON THE HEAVILY INDUSTRIALIZED AREAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bartosz Kaźmierczak

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the dimensioning of retention reservoirs indicator method regarding to the German DWA-A 117 guideline, recommended for small rainfall catchments (with an area of 200 ha. A comparative calculation of the retention reservoirs overflow useful volume were conducted for 4 variants of catchment development (degree sealing surface varied from 60% to 90%, under the assumed sewage outflow from the tank at the level of the urban basin natural runoff. At given conditions required unit volume of retention reservoirs, from 145.4 m3 to 206.7 m3 for each 1 ha of catchment area were determined. The obtained results confirmed the fact that useful volume of the tanks were decreased, when Blaszczyk’s pattern reliable rainwater streams were used for calculations. Because the DWA-A 117 guideline method should be applied to a small rainfall catchments, it is recommended to verify the hydraulic capacity of dimensioned channels and objects using hydrodynamic simulations at different load of rainfall catchment scenarios, variable in time and space.

  15. Passively-switched energy harvester for increased operational range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Tian; Livermore, Carol; Pierre, Ryan St

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents modeling and experimental validation of a new type of vibrational energy harvester that passively switches between two dynamical modes of operation to expand the range of driving frequencies and accelerations over which the harvester effectively extracts power. In both modes, a driving beam with a low resonant frequency couples into ambient vibrations and transfers their energy to a generating beam that has a higher resonant frequency. The generating beam converts the mechanical power into electrical power. In coupled-motion mode, the driving beam bounces off the generating beam. In plucked mode, the driving beam deflects the generating beam until the driving beam passes from above the generating beam to below it or vice versa. Analytical system models are implemented numerically in the time domain for driving frequencies of 3 Hz to 27 Hz and accelerations from 0.1 g to 2.6 g, and both system dynamics and output power are predicted. A corresponding switched-dynamics harvester is tested experimentally, and its voltage, power, and dynamics are recorded. In both models and experiments, coupled-motion harvesting is observed at lower accelerations, whereas plucked harvesting and/or mixed mode harvesting are observed at higher accelerations. As expected, plucked harvesting outputs greater power than coupled-motion harvesting in both simulations and experiments. The predicted (1.8 mW) and measured (1.56 mW) maximum average power levels are similar under measured conditions at 0.5 g. When the system switches to dynamics that are characteristic of higher frequencies, the difference between predicted and measured power levels is more pronounced due to non-ideal mechanical interaction between the beams’ tips. Despite the beams’ non-ideal interactions, switched-dynamics operation increases the harvester’s operating range. (paper)

  16. Evaluating the potential of improving residential water balance at building scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agudelo-Vera, Claudia M; Keesman, Karel J; Mels, Adriaan R; Rijnaarts, Huub H M

    2013-12-15

    Earlier results indicated that, for an average household, self-sufficiency in water supply can be achieved by following the Urban harvest Approach (UHA), in a combination of demand minimization, cascading and multi-sourcing. To achieve these results, it was assumed that all available local resources can be harvested. In reality, however, temporal, spatial and location-bound factors pose limitations to this harvest and, thus, to self-sufficiency. This article investigates potential spatial and temporal limitations to harvest local water resources at building level for the Netherlands, with a focus on indoor demand. Two building types were studied, a free standing house (one four-people household) and a mid-rise apartment flat (28 two-person households). To be able to model yearly water balances, daily patterns considering household occupancy and presence of water using appliances were defined per building type. Three strategies were defined. The strategies include demand minimization, light grey water (LGW) recycling, and rainwater harvesting (multi-sourcing). Recycling and multi-sourcing cater for toilet flushing and laundry machine. Results showed that water saving devices may reduce 30% of the conventional demand. Recycling of LGW can supply 100% of second quality water (DQ2) which represents 36% of the conventional demand or up to 20% of the minimized demand. Rainwater harvesting may supply approximately 80% of the minimized demand in case of the apartment flat and 60% in case of the free standing house. To harvest these potentials, different system specifications, related to the household type, are required. Two constraints to recycle and multi-source were identified, namely i) limitations in the grey water production and available rainfall; and ii) the potential to harvest water as determined by the temporal pattern in water availability, water use, and storage and treatment capacities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Designing A General Deep Web Harvester by Harvestability Factor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Khelghati, Mohammadreza; van Keulen, Maurice; Hiemstra, Djoerd

    2014-01-01

    To make deep web data accessible, harvesters have a crucial role. Targeting different domains and websites enhances the need of a general-purpose harvester which can be applied to different settings and situations. To develop such a harvester, a large number of issues should be addressed. To have

  18. Terra Harvest software architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humeniuk, Dave; Klawon, Kevin

    2012-06-01

    Under the Terra Harvest Program, the DIA has the objective of developing a universal Controller for the Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) community. The mission is to define, implement, and thoroughly document an open architecture that universally supports UGS missions, integrating disparate systems, peripherals, etc. The Controller's inherent interoperability with numerous systems enables the integration of both legacy and future UGS System (UGSS) components, while the design's open architecture supports rapid third-party development to ensure operational readiness. The successful accomplishment of these objectives by the program's Phase 3b contractors is demonstrated via integration of the companies' respective plug-'n'-play contributions that include controllers, various peripherals, such as sensors, cameras, etc., and their associated software drivers. In order to independently validate the Terra Harvest architecture, L-3 Nova Engineering, along with its partner, the University of Dayton Research Institute, is developing the Terra Harvest Open Source Environment (THOSE), a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) running on an embedded Linux Operating System. The Use Cases on which the software is developed support the full range of UGS operational scenarios such as remote sensor triggering, image capture, and data exfiltration. The Team is additionally developing an ARM microprocessor-based evaluation platform that is both energy-efficient and operationally flexible. The paper describes the overall THOSE architecture, as well as the design decisions for some of the key software components. Development process for THOSE is discussed as well.

  19. An innovative tri-directional broadband piezoelectric energy harvester

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Su, Wei-Jiun, E-mail: weijiun@mie.utoronto.ca; Zu, Jean [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8 (Canada)

    2013-11-11

    This paper presents a tri-directional piezoelectric energy harvester that is able to harvest vibration energy over a wide bandwidth from three orthogonal directions. The harvester consists of a main beam, an auxiliary beam, and a spring-mass system, with magnets integrated to introduce nonlinear force and couple the three sub-systems. Theoretical analysis and experiments were performed at constant acceleration under frequency sweeps to acquire frequency responses. The experimental results show that the voltage can achieve more than 2 V over more than 5 Hz of bandwidth with 1 MΩ load in the three orthogonal directions.

  20. Simulation and Characterisation of Planar Spring Based on PCB-FR4 in Electromechanical System for Energy Harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuadah, A. N.; Maulanisa, N. F.; Ismardi, A.; Sugandi, G.

    2017-05-01

    This paper presents comparison study of simulation and fabrication characterized two type planar springs at micro-fabricated electromagnetic power generator for an ambient vibration energy harvesting system. The power generator utilized a LASER-machined FR4-PCB planar spring, a copper coil, and NdFeB magnet. In order to change resonant frequency, we developed a gimbal suspension structure for the fabrication of spring. The NdFeB permanent magnet was applied as inertial mass. The system was specially designed to harvest low ambient vibrations from 20 to several hundred hertz and low acceleration. The dimension of fabricated energy harvester had 2.5 x 2.5 cm2 in size. In this study we present two different design of cantilever, which is has two and four cantilever, respectively. The different designed given different resonance frequency to the system. The result of simulation giving resonance frequency of two cantilever membrane 22.6 Hz and four cantilever membrane 110.3 Hz. The measurements result has generated 0.135 V with resonance frequency 39 Hz of two cantilever membrane appropriate for human motions, four cantilever membrane has generated 0.174 V with resonance frequency106 Hz appropriate for machine industries.

  1. Simulation and testing of a micro electromagnetic energy harvester for self-powered system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiming Lei

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a low cost and efficient electromagnetic vibration energy harvester (EVEH for a self-powered system. The EVEH consists of a resistant (copper spring, a permanent magnet (NdFeB35 and a wire-wound copper coil. The copper spring was fabricated by the laser precision cutting technology. A numerical model was adopted to analyze magnetic field distribution of a rectangle permanent magnet. The finite element (FEM soft ANSYS was used to simulate the mechanical properties of the system. The testing results show that the micro electromagnetic vibration energy harvester can generate the maximal power 205.38 μW at a resonance frequency of 124.2 Hz with an acceleration of 0.5 g (g = 9.8 ms−2 across a load the 265 Ω and a superior normalized power density (NPD of 456.5 μW cm−3 g−2. The magnetic field distribution of the permanent magnet was calculated to optimize geometric parameters of the coil. The proposed EVEH has a high efficiency with the lower cost.

  2. Energy harvesting from high-rise buildings by a piezoelectric harvester device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, X.D.; Wang, Q.; Wang, S.J.

    2015-01-01

    A novel piezoelectric technology of harvesting energy from high-rise buildings is developed. While being used to harness vibration energy of a building, the technology is also helpful to dissipate vibration of the building by the designed piezoelectric harvester as a tuned mass damper. The piezoelectric harvester device is made of two groups of series piezoelectric generators connected by a shared shaft. The shaft is driven by a linking rod hinged on a proof mass on the tip of a cantilever fixed on the roof of the building. The influences of some practical considerations, such as the mass ratio of the proof mass to the main structure, the ratios of the length and flexural rigidity of the cantilever to those of the main structure, on the root mean square (RMS) of the generated electric power and the energy harvesting efficiency of the piezoelectric harvester device are discussed. The research provides a new method for an efficient and practical energy harvesting from high-rise buildings by piezoelectric harvesters. - Highlights: • A new piezoelectric technology in energy harvesting from high-rise buildings is introduced. • A new mathematics model to calculate the energy harvested by the piezoelectric device is developed. • A novel efficient design of the piezoelectric harvester device in provided. • An electric power up to 432 MW under a seismic excitation at a frequency of 30 rad/s is achieved.

  3. Cl-36 in polar ice, rainwater and seawater

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkel, R. C.; Nishiizumi, K.; Elmore, D.; Ferraro, R. D.; Gove, H. E.

    1980-01-01

    Concentrations of the cosmogenic radioisotope Cl-36 in Antarctic ice, rain, and an upper limit of the seawater value are determined using van de Graaff accelerator high energy mass spectrometry. Cl-36 concentrations in Antarctic ice range between 2.5 to 8.7 x 10 to the 6th atoms Cl-36/kg, while those concentrations in samples collected at the Alan Hills ice field locations where meteorites have been brought to the surface by glacial flow and ablation are found to vary by more than a factor of three. This variation is attributed either to the effects of atmospheric mixing and scavenging or to radioactive decay in old ice. The Cl-36 concentration found in a present sample of rainwater is much lower than that reported in samples collected in the early 1960's, suggesting the occurrence of a decrease in the concentration of atmospheric Cl-36 derived from nuclear weapons tests over this time period.

  4. Thermodynamic limits of energy harvesting from outgoing thermal radiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buddhiraju, Siddharth; Santhanam, Parthiban; Fan, Shanhui

    2018-04-17

    We derive the thermodynamic limits of harvesting power from the outgoing thermal radiation from the ambient to the cold outer space. The derivations are based on a duality relation between thermal engines that harvest solar radiation and those that harvest outgoing thermal radiation. In particular, we derive the ultimate limit for harvesting outgoing thermal radiation, which is analogous to the Landsberg limit for solar energy harvesting, and show that the ultimate limit far exceeds what was previously thought to be possible. As an extension of our work, we also derive the ultimate limit of efficiency of thermophotovoltaic systems.

  5. Flexible Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting from Mouse Click Motions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youngsu Cha

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we study energy harvesting from the mouse click motions of a robot finger and a human index finger using a piezoelectric material. The feasibility of energy harvesting from mouse click motions is experimentally and theoretically assessed. The fingers wear a glove with a pocket for including the piezoelectric material. We model the energy harvesting system through the inverse kinematic framework of parallel joints in a finger and the electromechanical coupling equations of the piezoelectric material. The model is validated through energy harvesting experiments in the robot and human fingers with the systematically varying load resistance. We find that energy harvesting is maximized at the matched load resistance to the impedance of the piezoelectric material, and the harvested energy level is tens of nJ.

  6. Setting analyst: A practical harvest planning technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olivier R.M. Halleux; W. Dale Greene

    2001-01-01

    Setting Analyst is an ArcView extension that facilitates practical harvest planning for ground-based systems. By modeling the travel patterns of ground-based machines, it compares different harvesting settings based on projected average skidding distance, logging costs, and site disturbance levels. Setting Analyst uses information commonly available to consulting...

  7. A new energy-harvesting device system for wireless sensors, adaptable to on-site monitoring of MR damper motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Miao; Peng, Youxiang; Wang, Siqi; Fu, Jie; Choi, S B

    2014-01-01

    Under extreme service conditions in vehicle suspension systems, some defects exist in the hardening, bodying, and poor temperature stability of magnetorheological (MR) fluid. These defects can cause weak and even invalid performance in the MR fluid damper (MR damper for short). To ensure the effective validity of the practical applicability of the MR damper, one must implement an online state-monitoring sensor to monitor several performance factors, such as acceleration. In this empirical work, we propose a new energy-harvesting device system for the wireless sensor system of an MR damper. The monitoring sensor system consists of several components, such as an energy-harvesting device, energy-management circuit, and wireless sensor node. The electrical energy harvested from the kinetic energy of the MR fluid that flows within the MR damper can be automatically charged and discharged with the help of an energy-management circuit for the wireless sensor node. After verifying good performance from each component, an experimental apparatus is built to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed self-powered wireless sensor system. The measured results of pressure, temperature, and acceleration data within the MR damper clearly demonstrate the practical applicability of monitoring the operating work states of the MR damper when it is subjected to sinusoidal excitation. (technical note)

  8. Evaluation of chips quality by the analysis of two different harvesting methodologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pari, L.; Civitarese, V.; Del Giudice, A. [Council for Research in Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering Research Unit, Rome (Italy)

    2010-07-01

    The Council for Research in Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering Research Unit (CRA-ING) in Rome, Italy has developed an innovative short-rotation forestry (SRF) harvesting system. The system involves a 2 step operation, notably the tree felling and inter-row windrowing performed by a feller windrower equipment; and subsequent chipping performed by a harvester equipped with a pick-up device. The low moisture content of the windrowed trees at harvesting time affects their physical qualities and mechanical strength throughout the chipping operation. The purpose of this study was to analyze the moisture losses of windrowed trees, in relation to the windrow location, on field storage and weather condition. In addition, the study characterized chips quality changes during on field storage by the 2 different harvesting systems. The innovative 2-step system was compared with the traditional 1-step harvesting system.

  9. A multiobjective ? control strategy for energy harvesting in regenerative vehicle suspension systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casavola, Alessandro; Di Iorio, Fabio; Tedesco, Francesco

    2018-04-01

    A significant amount of energy induced by road unevenness and vehicle roll and pitch motions is usually dissipated by conventional shock-absorbers. In this paper, a novel active multiobjective ? control design methodology is proposed which explicitly includes, besides the usual control objectives on ride comfort, road handling and suspension stroke, the amount of energy to be harvested as an additional, though conflicting, control objective and allows the designer to directly trade-off among them depending on the application. An electromechanical regenerative suspension system is considered where the viscous damper is replaced by a linear electrical motor which is actively governed. It is shown that the proposed control law is able to achieve remarkable improvements on the amount of the harvested energy with respect to passive or semi-active control strategies while maintaining the other objectives at acceptable levels. Simulative studies undertaken via CarSim are also reported that confirm the potentiality and flexibility of the proposed control design strategy.

  10. Dynamics of a delayed intraguild predation model with harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collera, Juancho A.; Balilo, Aldrin T.

    2018-03-01

    In [1], a delayed three-species intraguild predation (IGP) model was considered. This particular tri-trophic community module includes a predator and its prey which share a common basal resource for their sustenance [3]. Here, it is assumed that in the absence of predation, the growth of the basal resource follows the delayed logistic equation. Without delay time, the IGP model in [1] reduces to the system considered in [7] where it was shown that IGP may induce chaos even if the functional responses are linear. Meanwhile, in [2] the delayed IGP model in [1] was generalized to include harvesting. Under the assumption that the basal resource has some economic value, a constant harvesting term on the basal resource was incorporated. However, both models in [1] and [2] use the delay time as the main parameter. In this research, we studied the delayed IGP model in [1] with the addition of linear harvesting term on each of the three species. The dynamical behavior of this system is examined using the harvesting rates as main parameter. In particular, we give conditions on the existence, stability, and bifurcations of equilibrium solutions of this system. This allows us to better understand the effects of harvesting in terms of the survival or extinction of one or more species in our system. Numerical simulations are carried out to illustrate our results. In fact, we show that the chaotic behavior in [7] unfolds when the harvesting rate parameter is varied.

  11. Theoretical modeling and experimental validation of a torsional piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Feng; Zhou, Wanlu; Kaluvan, Suresh; Zhang, Haifeng; Zuo, Lei

    2018-04-01

    Vibration energy harvesting has been extensively studied in recent years to explore a continuous power source for sensor networks and low-power electronics. Torsional vibration widely exists in mechanical engineering; however, it has not yet been well exploited for energy harvesting. This paper presents a theoretical model and an experimental validation of a torsional vibration energy harvesting system comprised of a shaft and a shear mode piezoelectric transducer. The piezoelectric transducer position on the surface of the shaft is parameterized by two variables that are optimized to obtain the maximum power output. The piezoelectric transducer can work in d 15 mode (pure shear mode), coupled mode of d 31 and d 33, and coupled mode of d 33, d 31 and d 15, respectively, when attached at different angles. Approximate expressions of voltage and power are derived from the theoretical model, which gave predictions in good agreement with analytical solutions. Physical interpretations on the implicit relationship between the power output and the position parameters of the piezoelectric transducer is given based on the derived approximate expression. The optimal position and angle of the piezoelectric transducer is determined, in which case, the transducer works in the coupled mode of d 15, d 31 and d 33.

  12. On the theory of frequency-shifted secondary emission of light-harvesting molecular systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morozov, V.A.

    2001-01-01

    The expressions are obtained for the intensity of the frequency-shifted secondary emission of a chromophore playing the role of a reaction center in the simplest model three-chromophore molecular 'light-harvesting' antenna, which is constructed and oriented in space so that the incident photons coherently excite two of its chromophore pigments. The quantum-field formalism was used, which takes into account the generalized (quantum-electrodynamic) dipole-dipole, as well as radiative and nonradiative dissipative interactions between pigments and the reaction center of the antenna. The special features of the excitation spectrum of the Raman scattering line and the frequency-shifted fluorescence spectrum of the reaction center of the molecular antenna under study are discussed. A comparison of the expressions obtained for the excitation and fluorescence spectra and with the corresponding expressions obtained for a bichromophore molecular system, which differs from a three-chromophore antenna by the absence of one of the pigments, revealed the properties of the mechanism of action of light-harvesting molecular antennas that have not been found earlier. In particular, it is shown that 'the light-harvesting' caused by the collective dissipative interactions of pigments with the reaction center of the antenna can substantially exceed a sum of contributions from separate pigments

  13. Effect of Consuming Rooftop Harvested Rainwater from Esan ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    MICHAEL HORSFALL

    ABSTRACT: This study assessed the effects of some local sources of drinking water in. Okiagbem, Uromi and Ubiaja communities of Esan Edo State Nigeria on the biochemical, ... International reviews have shown that .... failure multiple myeloma, nutritional deficiencies etc. ..... Caffeine effects on short-term performance.

  14. Adoption of Rainwater Harvesting Technologies 'by Farmers in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    and methodological problems in studying adoption of RWH technologies. A survey approach ... reduce the problem of availability of technical knowledge to farmers . Key words: . Adoption ... plete information about the technology and its potential. ..... of erosion and accessibility. .... difticult because of're!iance on memories of.

  15. Minimizing post-fire erosion using rainwater harvesting practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    P. R. Garcia-Chevesich; R. Valdes; D. Neary; R. Pizarro

    2015-01-01

    Though wildfires can lead to tremendous rates of soil erosion, they also have several beneficial effects on natural areas. Plants in ecosystems that are susceptible to wildfires often survive through adaptation processes that include physical protection against heat, increased growth after a wildfire event and production of flammable materials that stimulate fire and...

  16. Applications of energy harvesting for ultralow power technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pop-Vadean, A.; Pop, P. P.; Barz, C.; Chiver, O.

    2015-06-01

    Ultra-low-power (ULP) technology is enabling a wide range of new applications that harvest ambient energy in very small amounts and need little or no maintenance - self-sustaining devices that are capable of perpetual or nearly perpetual operation. These new systems, which are now appearing in industrial and consumer electronics, also promise great changes in medicine and health. Until recently, the idea of micro-scale energy harvesting, and collecting miniscule amounts of ambient energy to power electronic systems, was still limited to research proposals and laboratory experiments.Today an increasing number of systems are appearing that take advantage of light, vibrations and other forms of previously wasted environmental energy for applications where providing line power or maintaining batteries is inconvenient. In the industrial world, where sensors gather information from remote equipment and hazardous processes; in consumer electronics, where mobility and convenience are served; and in medical systems, with unique requirements for prosthetics and non-invasive monitoring, energy harvesting is rapidly expanding into new applications.This paper serves as a survey for applications of energy harvesting for ultra low power technology based on various technical papers available in the public domain.

  17. Effects of tied ridges and mulch on barley (Hordeum vulgare) rainwater use efficiency and production in Northern Ethiopia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Araya, A.; Stroosnijder, L.

    2010-01-01

    Two alternative in situ area rainwater conservation practices (tied ridging and mulching) were evaluated for four seasons (2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009) at an experimental station in Mekelle, Ethiopia. The objectives were to evaluate the performance of barley as influenced by mulch and tied ridge and

  18. Nanoscale piezoelectric vibration energy harvester design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foruzande, Hamid Reza; Hajnayeb, Ali; Yaghootian, Amin

    2017-09-01

    Development of new nanoscale devices has increased the demand for new types of small-scale energy resources such as ambient vibrations energy harvesters. Among the vibration energy harvesters, piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) can be easily miniaturized and fabricated in micro and nano scales. This change in the dimensions of a PEH leads to a change in its governing equations of motion, and consequently, the predicted harvested energy comparing to a macroscale PEH. In this research, effects of small scale dimensions on the nonlinear vibration and harvested voltage of a nanoscale PEH is studied. The PEH is modeled as a cantilever piezoelectric bimorph nanobeam with a tip mass, using the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory in conjunction with Hamilton's principle. A harmonic base excitation is applied as a model of the ambient vibrations. The nonlocal elasticity theory is used to consider the size effects in the developed model. The derived equations of motion are discretized using the assumed-modes method and solved using the method of multiple scales. Sensitivity analysis for the effect of different parameters of the system in addition to size effects is conducted. The results show the significance of nonlocal elasticity theory in the prediction of system dynamic nonlinear behavior. It is also observed that neglecting the size effects results in lower estimates of the PEH vibration amplitudes. The results pave the way for designing new nanoscale sensors in addition to PEHs.

  19. Production economics of harvesting small-diameter hardwood stands in central Appalachia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaoxiang Li; Jingxin Wang; Gary Miller; Joe McNeel

    2006-01-01

    Three harvesting systems of chainsaw/cable skidder, feller-buncher/grapple skidder, and harvester/forwarder were simulated in harvesting three hardwood stands 30 to 50 years old in central Appalachia. Stands were generated by using a 3D stand generator. Harvesting prescriptions included clearcut, shelterwood cut, selective cut, diameter limit cut, and crop tree release...

  20. Cut-To-Length Harvesting of Short Rotation Eucalyptus at Simpson Tehama Fiber Farm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruce R. Hartsough; David J. Cooper

    1999-01-01

    A system consisting of a cut-to-length harvester, forwarder, mobile chipper and chip screen was tested in a 7-year-old plantation. Three levels of debarking effort by the harvester (minimal, partial and full), and two levels of screening (with and without) were evaluated. The harvester had the lowest production rate and highest cost of the system elements. Harvester...

  1. Simulating cut-to-length harvesting operations in Appalachian hardwoods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jingxin Wang; Chris B. LeDoux; Yaoxiang Li

    2005-01-01

    Cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting systems involving small and large harvesters and a forwarder were simulated using a modular computer simulation model. The two harvesters simulated were a modified John Deere 988 tracked excavator with a single grip sawhead and a Timbco T425 based excavator with a single grip sawhead. The forwarder used in the simulations was a Valmet 524...

  2. Relationship Between Site Disturbance and Forest Harvesting Equipment Traffic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tim McDonald; Emily Carter; Steve Taylor; John Tobert

    1998-01-01

    A study was done to evaluate the use of global positioning systems (GPS) to track the position of forest harvesting equipment and use the information to assess site impacts. GPS units were attached to tree-length harvesting machinery in two clearcuts (1 feller-buncher, 2 skidders). Position of the equipment was recorded at 2-second intervals throughout the harvest of...

  3. Design and Experimental Study of an L Shape Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    In-Ho Kim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectric energy harvesters of cantilevered beam type are studied in various fields due to simplicity. In general, these systems obtain electrical energy from mechanical strain by bending of cantilevered beam. However, conventional systems have disadvantages that they have low efficiency in frequency regions other than resonance frequency. To overcome the limitations, various energy harvesters to apply performance enhancement strategies are proposed and investigated. In this paper, a frequency-changeable L shape energy harvester which is form connected cantilever beam and rigid arm is proposed and investigated. The conventional piezoelectric energy harvester exhibits the principal frequency in the simple bending mode whereas the proposed system features the twisting mode resulting in a higher output voltage than the conventional system. The proposed energy harvester is simplified to a two-degree-of-freedom model and its dynamics are described. How the length of a rigid bar affects its natural frequencies is also studied. To evaluate the performance of the system, experiments by using a vertical shaker and numerical simulation are carried out. As a result, it is shown that the natural frequency for a twisting mode decreases as the arm length increased, and the higher output voltage is generated comparing with those of the conventional energy harvester.

  4. Analysis of an array of piezoelectric energy harvesters connected in series

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, H C; Wu, P H; Lien, I C; Shu, Y C

    2013-01-01

    This paper investigates the electrical response of a series connection of piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) attached to various interface electronics, including standard and parallel-/series-SSHI (synchronized switch harvesting on inductor) circuits. In contrast to the case of parallel connection of multiple oscillators, the system response is determined by the matrix formulation of charging on a capacitance. In addition, the adoption of an equivalent impedance approach shows that the capacitance matrix can be explicitly expressed in terms of the relevant load impedance. A model problem is proposed for performance evaluation of harvested power under different choices of interface circuits. The result demonstrates that the parallel-SSHI array system exhibits higher power output with moderate bandwidth improvement, while the series-SSHI system delivers a pronounced wideband at the cost of peak harvested power. The standard array system shows a mild ability in power harvesting between these two SSHI systems. Finally, comparisons between the series and parallel connection of oscillators are made, showing the striking contrast of these two cases. (paper)

  5. Bistable energy harvesting enhancement with an auxiliary linear oscillator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harne, R. L.; Thota, M.; Wang, K. W.

    2013-12-01

    Recent work has indicated that linear vibrational energy harvesters with an appended degree-of-freedom (DOF) may be advantageous for introducing new dynamic forms to extend the operational bandwidth. Given the additional interest in bistable harvester designs, which exhibit a propitious snap through effect from one stable state to the other, it is a logical extension to explore the influence of an added DOF to a bistable system. However, bistable snap through is not a resonant phenomenon, which tempers the presumption that the dynamics induced by an additional DOF on bistable designs would inherently be beneficial as for linear systems. This paper presents two analytical formulations to assess the fundamental and superharmonic steady-state dynamics of an excited bistable energy harvester to which is attached an auxiliary linear oscillator. From an energy harvesting perspective, the model predicts that the additional linear DOF uniformly amplifies the bistable harvester response magnitude and generated power for excitation frequencies less than the attachment’s resonance while improved power density spans a bandwidth below this frequency. Analyses predict bandwidths having co-existent responses composed of a unique proportion of fundamental and superharmonic dynamics. Experiments validate key analytical predictions and observe the ability for the coupled system to develop an advantageous multi-harmonic interwell response when the initial conditions are insufficient for continuous high-energy orbit at the excitation frequency. Overall, the addition of an auxiliary linear oscillator to a bistable harvester is found to be an effective means of enhancing the energy harvesting performance and robustness.

  6. Study on Magnesium in Rainwater and Fertilizer Infiltration to Solidified Peat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tajuddin, S. A. M.; Rahman, J. A.; Mohamed, R. M. S. R.

    2018-04-01

    Magnesium is a component of several primary and secondary minerals in the soil which are essentially insoluble for agricultural purpose. The presence of water infiltrate in the soil allows magnesium to dissolve together into the groundwater. In fertilizers, magnesium is categorized as secondary macronutrient which supplies food and encouraging for plants growth. The main objective of this study was to determine the concentration of magnesium in fibric peat when applied the solidification under different conditions. Physical model was used as a mechanism for the analysis of the experimental data using a soil column as an equipment to produce water leaching. In this investigation, there were four outlets in the soil column which were prepared from the top of the column to the bottom with the purpose of identifying the concentration of magnesium for each soil level. The water leaching of each outlet was tested using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The results obtained showed that the highest concentrations of magnesium for flush and control condition at outlet 4 was 12.50 ppm and 1.29 ppm respectively. Similarly, fibric with solidified peat under rainwater recorded the highest value of 3.16 at outlet 1 for wet condition while for dry condition at outlet 4 of 1.33 ppm. However, the difference in fibric with solidified peat under rainwater and fertilizer condition showed that the highest value for the wet condition was achieved at outlet 1 with 5.43 ppm while highest value of 1.26 ppm was obtained for the dry condition at the outlet 4. It was concluded that the outlets in the soil column gave a detailed analysis of the concentration of magnesium in the soil which was influenced by the environmental conditions.

  7. Long range excitonic transport in a biomimetic system inspired by the bacterial light-harvesting apparatus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harel, Elad [Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States)

    2012-05-07

    Photosynthesis, the process by which energy from sunlight drives cellular metabolism, relies on a unique organization of light-harvesting and reaction center complexes. Recently, the organization of light-harvesting LH2 complexes and dimeric reaction center-light-harvesting I-PufX core complexes in membranes of purple non-sulfur bacteria was revealed by atomic force microscopy [S. Bahatyrova et al., Nature (London) 430, 1058 (2004)]. Here, we discuss optimal exciton transfer in a biomimetic system closely modeled on the structure of LH2 and its organization within the membrane using a Markovian quantum model with dissipation and trapping added phenomenologically. In a deliberate manner, we neglect the high level detail of the bacterial light-harvesting complex and its interaction with the phonon bath in order to elucidate a set of design principles that may be incorporated in artificial pigment-scaffold constructs in a supramolecular assembly. We show that our scheme reproduces many of the most salient features found in their natural counterpart and may be largely explained by simple electrostatic considerations. Most importantly, we show that quantum effects act primarily to enforce robustness with respect to spatial and spectral disorder between and within complexes. The implications of such an arrangement are discussed in the context of biomimetic photosynthetic analogs capable of transferring energy efficiently across tens to hundreds of nanometers.

  8. Long range excitonic transport in a biomimetic system inspired by the bacterial light-harvesting apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harel, Elad

    2012-01-01

    Photosynthesis, the process by which energy from sunlight drives cellular metabolism, relies on a unique organization of light-harvesting and reaction center complexes. Recently, the organization of light-harvesting LH2 complexes and dimeric reaction center-light-harvesting I-PufX core complexes in membranes of purple non-sulfur bacteria was revealed by atomic force microscopy [S. Bahatyrova et al., Nature (London) 430, 1058 (2004)]. Here, we discuss optimal exciton transfer in a biomimetic system closely modeled on the structure of LH2 and its organization within the membrane using a Markovian quantum model with dissipation and trapping added phenomenologically. In a deliberate manner, we neglect the high level detail of the bacterial light-harvesting complex and its interaction with the phonon bath in order to elucidate a set of design principles that may be incorporated in artificial pigment-scaffold constructs in a supramolecular assembly. We show that our scheme reproduces many of the most salient features found in their natural counterpart and may be largely explained by simple electrostatic considerations. Most importantly, we show that quantum effects act primarily to enforce robustness with respect to spatial and spectral disorder between and within complexes. The implications of such an arrangement are discussed in the context of biomimetic photosynthetic analogs capable of transferring energy efficiently across tens to hundreds of nanometers.

  9. Control of electro-chemical processes using energy harvesting materials and devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yan; Xie, Mengying; Adamaki, Vana; Khanbareh, Hamideh; Bowen, Chris R

    2017-12-11

    Energy harvesting is a topic of intense interest that aims to convert ambient forms of energy such as mechanical motion, light and heat, which are otherwise wasted, into useful energy. In many cases the energy harvester or nanogenerator converts motion, heat or light into electrical energy, which is subsequently rectified and stored within capacitors for applications such as wireless and self-powered sensors or low-power electronics. This review covers the new and emerging area that aims to directly couple energy harvesting materials and devices with electro-chemical systems. The harvesting approaches to be covered include pyroelectric, piezoelectric, triboelectric, flexoelectric, thermoelectric and photovoltaic effects. These are used to influence a variety of electro-chemical systems such as applications related to water splitting, catalysis, corrosion protection, degradation of pollutants, disinfection of bacteria and material synthesis. Comparisons are made between the range harvesting approaches and the modes of operation are described. Future directions for the development of electro-chemical harvesting systems are highlighted and the potential for new applications and hybrid approaches are discussed.

  10. Vibration Energy Harvesting Potential for Turbomachinery Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian STOICESCU

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The vibration energy harvesting process represents one of the research directions for increasing power efficiency of electric systems, increasing instrumentation nodes autonomy in hard to reach locations and decreasing total system mass by eliminating cables and higher-power adapters. Research based on the possibility of converting vibration energy into useful electric energy is used to evaluate the potential of its use on turbomachinery applications. Aspects such as the structure and characteristics of piezoelectric generators, harvesting networks, their setup and optimization, are considered. Finally, performance test results are shown using piezoelectric systems on a turbine engine.

  11. Constraints and challenges of meeting the water requirements of livestock in Ethiopia: cases of Lume and Siraro districts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amenu, Kebede; Markemann, André; Roessler, Regina; Siegmund-Schultze, Marianna; Abebe, Girma; Valle Zárate, Anne

    2013-10-01

    Compared to the total water use in livestock production systems, water for livestock drinking is small in amount but is an important requirement for health and productivity of animals. This study was carried out to assess constraints and challenges of meeting drinking water requirements of livestock in rural mixed smallholder crop-livestock farming districts in the Ethiopian Rift Valley area. Data was collected by individual interviews with randomly selected respondents and farmer group discussions. Farmers ranked feed and water scarcity as the two most important constraints for livestock husbandry, although the ranking order differed between districts and villages. Poor quality water was a concern for the communities in proximity to urban settlements or industrial establishments. Water provision for livestock was challenging during the dry season, since alternative water sources dried up or were polluted. Though rainwater harvesting by dugout constructions was practiced to cope with water scarcity, farmers indicated that mismanagement of the harvested water was posing health risks on both livestock and people. A sustainable water provision for livestock in the area, thus, depends on use of different water sources (intermittent or perennial) that should be properly managed. Industrial establishments should adopt an environment-friendly production to minimize pollution of water resources used for livestock consumption. Technical support to farmers is required in proper design and use of existing rainwater harvesting systems. Further investigations are recommended on effect of poor quality water (perceived by farmers) on performance of livestock.

  12. The case for energy harvesting on wildlife in flight

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shafer, Michael W; MacCurdy, Robert; Garcia, Ephrahim; Shipley, J Ryan; Winkler, David; Guglielmo, Christopher G

    2015-01-01

    The confluence of advancements in microelectronic components and vibrational energy harvesting has opened the possibility of remote sensor units powered solely from the motion of their hosts. There are numerous applications of such systems, including the development of modern wildlife tracking/data-logging devices. These ‘bio-logging’ devices are typically mass-constrained because they must be carried by an animal. Thus, they have historically traded scientific capability for operational longevity due to restrictions on battery size. Recently, the precipitous decrease in the power requirements of microelectronics has been accompanied by advancements in the area of piezoelectric vibrational energy harvesting. These energy harvesting devices are now capable of powering the type of microelectronic circuits used in bio-logging devices. In this paper we consider the feasibility of employing these vibrational energy harvesters on flying vertebrates for the purpose of powering a bio-logging device. We show that the excess energy available from birds and bats could be harvested without adversely affecting their overall energy budget. We then present acceleration measurements taken on flying birds in a flight tunnel to understand modulation of flapping frequency during steady flight. Finally, we use a recently developed method of estimating the maximum power output from a piezoelectric energy harvester to determine the amount of power that could be practically harvested from a flying bird. The results of this analysis show that the average power output of a piezoelectric energy harvester mounted to a bird or bat could produce more than enough power to run a bio-logging device. We compare the power harvesting capabilities to the energy requirements of an example system and conclude that vibrational energy harvesting on flying birds and bats is viable and warrants further study, including testing. (paper)

  13. Simple and Efficient System for Combined Solar Energy Harvesting and Reversible Hydrogen Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lu; Mu, Xiaoyue; Liu, Wenbo; Mi, Zetian; Li, Chao-Jun

    2015-06-24

    Solar energy harvesting and hydrogen economy are the two most important green energy endeavors for the future. However, a critical hurdle to the latter is how to safely and densely store and transfer hydrogen. Herein, we developed a reversible hydrogen storage system based on low-cost liquid organic cyclic hydrocarbons at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. A facile switch of hydrogen addition (>97% conversion) and release (>99% conversion) with superior capacity of 7.1 H2 wt % can be quickly achieved over a rationally optimized platinum catalyst with high electron density, simply regulated by dark/light conditions. Furthermore, the photodriven dehydrogenation of cyclic alkanes gave an excellent apparent quantum efficiency of 6.0% under visible light illumination (420-600 nm) without any other energy input, which provides an alternative route to artificial photosynthesis for directly harvesting and storing solar energy in the form of chemical fuel.

  14. Design and experiment of controlled bistable vortex induced vibration energy harvesting systems operating in chaotic regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huynh, B. H.; Tjahjowidodo, T.; Zhong, Z.-W.; Wang, Y.; Srikanth, N.

    2018-01-01

    Vortex induced vibration based energy harvesting systems have gained interests in these recent years due to its potential as a low water current energy source. However, the effectiveness of the system is limited only at a certain water current due to the resonance principle that governs the concept. In order to extend the working range, a bistable spring to support the structure is introduced on the system. The improvement on the performance is essentially dependent on the bistable gap as one of the main parameters of the nonlinear spring. A sufficiently large bistable gap will result in a significant performance improvement. Unfortunately, a large bistable gap might also increase a chance of chaotic responses, which in turn will result in diminutive harvested power. To mitigate the problem, an appropriate control structure is required to stabilize the chaotic vibrations of a VIV energy converter with the bistable supporting structure. Based on the nature of the double-well potential energy in a bistable spring, the ideal control structure will attempt to drive the responses to inter-well periodic vibrations in order to maximize the harvested power. In this paper, the OGY control algorithm is designed and implemented to the system. The control strategy is selected since it requires only a small perturbation in a structural parameter to execute the control effort, thus, minimum power is needed to drive the control input. Facilitated by a wake oscillator model, the bistable VIV system is modelled as a 4-dimensional autonomous continuous-time dynamical system. To implement the controller strategy, the system is discretized at a period estimated from the subspace hyperplane intersecting to the chaotic trajectory, whereas the fixed points that correspond to the desired periodic orbits are estimated by the recurrence method. Simultaneously, the Jacobian and sensitivity matrices are estimated by the least square regression method. Based on the defined fixed point and the

  15. Foldover effect and energy output from a nonlinear pseudo-maglev harvester

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kecik, Krzysztof; Mitura, Andrzej; Warminski, Jerzy; Lenci, Stefano

    2018-01-01

    Dynamics analysis and energy harvesting of a nonlinear magnetic pseudo-levitation (pseudo-maglev) harvester under harmonic excitation is presented in this paper. The system, for selected parameters, has two stable possible solutions with different corresponding energy outputs. The main goal is to analyse the influence of resistance load on the multi-stability zones and energy recovery which can help to tune the system to improve the energy harvesting efficiency.

  16. Apture of rainwater: educating for sustainable consumption is necessary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tadeu Teixeira

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The water resourses are important and essential to the life. Your deprive produce dead of the life. Bethween Humans creat conflicts and use of water produce conflicts, and warlike, and are important point on debates about sustentability, but occur unhappiness, are to result in corrective and proactive accion less than of crescent degrade ande waste. Apresentation of IFF studies about Rainwaters inpoud in the First Ecologic Week of Campos dos Goytacazes in 2011 stimulate a County Interest allied a educational Proposition with accord in to IFF and Municipal Administration with focus to municipal Ambiental Education Center. This project are a contribution of extension accion and studies of IFF with a group of scholar ship holder with financial support Municipal Administration to propose To touch the public interest about Water Crises, the importance of water resoucers, elimination of waste and didactil material for public education of population.

  17. Finite element modeling of electrically rectified piezoelectric energy harvesters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, P H; Shu, Y C

    2015-01-01

    Finite element models are developed for designing electrically rectified piezoelectric energy harvesters. They account for the consideration of common interface circuits such as the standard and parallel-/series-SSHI (synchronized switch harvesting on inductor) circuits, as well as complicated structural configurations such as arrays of piezoelectric oscillators. The idea is to replace the energy harvesting circuit by the proposed equivalent load impedance together with the capacitance of negative value. As a result, the proposed framework is capable of being implemented into conventional finite element solvers for direct system-level design without resorting to circuit simulators. The validation based on COMSOL simulations carried out for various interface circuits by the comparison with the standard modal analysis model. The framework is then applied to the investigation on how harvested power is reduced due to fabrication deviations in geometric and material properties of oscillators in an array system. Remarkably, it is found that for a standard array system with strong electromechanical coupling, the drop in peak power turns out to be insignificant if the optimal load is carefully chosen. The second application is to design broadband energy harvesting by developing array systems with suitable interface circuits. The result shows that significant broadband is observed for the parallel (series) connection of oscillators endowed with the parallel-SSHI (series-SSHI) circuit technique. (paper)

  18. Finite element modeling of electrically rectified piezoelectric energy harvesters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, P. H.; Shu, Y. C.

    2015-09-01

    Finite element models are developed for designing electrically rectified piezoelectric energy harvesters. They account for the consideration of common interface circuits such as the standard and parallel-/series-SSHI (synchronized switch harvesting on inductor) circuits, as well as complicated structural configurations such as arrays of piezoelectric oscillators. The idea is to replace the energy harvesting circuit by the proposed equivalent load impedance together with the capacitance of negative value. As a result, the proposed framework is capable of being implemented into conventional finite element solvers for direct system-level design without resorting to circuit simulators. The validation based on COMSOL simulations carried out for various interface circuits by the comparison with the standard modal analysis model. The framework is then applied to the investigation on how harvested power is reduced due to fabrication deviations in geometric and material properties of oscillators in an array system. Remarkably, it is found that for a standard array system with strong electromechanical coupling, the drop in peak power turns out to be insignificant if the optimal load is carefully chosen. The second application is to design broadband energy harvesting by developing array systems with suitable interface circuits. The result shows that significant broadband is observed for the parallel (series) connection of oscillators endowed with the parallel-SSHI (series-SSHI) circuit technique.

  19. Micro energy harvesting

    CERN Document Server

    Briand, Danick; Roundy, Shad

    2015-01-01

    With its inclusion of the fundamentals, systems and applications, this reference provides readers with the basics of micro energy conversion along with expert knowledge on system electronics and real-life microdevices. The authors address different aspects of energy harvesting at the micro scale with a focus on miniaturized and microfabricated devices. Along the way they provide an overview of the field by compiling knowledge on the design, materials development, device realization and aspects of system integration, covering emerging technologies, as well as applications in power management, e

  20. A knee-mounted biomechanical energy harvester with enhanced efficiency and safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chao; Chau, Li Yin; Liao, Wei-Hsin

    2017-06-01

    Energy harvesting is becoming a major limiting issue for many portable devices. When undertaking any activity, the human body generates a significant amount of biomechanical energy, which can be collected by means of a portable energy harvester. This energy provides a method of powering portable devices such as prosthetic limbs. In this paper, a knee-mounted energy harvester with enhanced efficiency and safety is proposed and developed to convert mechanical energy into electricity during human motion. This device can change the bi-directional knee input into uni-directional rotation for an electromagnetic generator using a specially designed transmission system. Without the constraint of induced impact on the human body, this device can harvest biomechanical energy from both knee flexion and extension, improving the harvesting efficiency over previous single-direction energy harvesters. It can also provide protection from device malfunction, and increase the safety of current biomechanical energy harvesters. A highly compact and light prototype is developed taking into account human kinematics. The biomechanical energy harvesting system is also modeled and analyzed. The prototype is tested under different conditions including walking, running and climbing stairs, to evaluate the energy harvesting performance and effect on the human gait. The experimental results show that the prototype can harvest an average power of 3.6 W at 1.5 m s-1 walking speed, which is promising for portable electronic devices.