Information for Operation of Water Supply Systems

Introduction: Water requirements increase as more people use more water for domestic purposes. The increase is augmented as technological advances add to the water needs of agriculture and industry. Additional urban landscaping adds further to the demand. Simultaneously, the same forces increase demands for flood control, hydrelectric power, and navigation; and a more urbanized population want more flows preserved for productive natural environments, recreational use, and aesthetic enjoyment. The response over the years to these growing demands on water resources has been to supply increasing amounts of water and greater levels of development for other purposes by building more projects, larger projects, multipurpose projects, and multiproject systems. The construction and operation of these facilities have changed the flow and water quality regimes of our rivers. Some majore river basins are now approaching full utilization of their runoff (U.S. Water Resources Council 1978). As the opportunities for water project construction are exhausted, the name of the game shifts to systems operation for more precise water delivery when and where it is needed. More rapid and reliable data collection can provide a better information base for determing need. Greater benefits can then be achieved by applying optimization models on a real time basis and promtly using the results in automated control systems. Fortunately, the needs for more carefully controlled water resources systems operation come at a time when advances in electronics are offering a new surveillance and control technologies. Greater efficiency can be achieved by more rapid measurement and thorough analysis for application of the informatino that has been used in the past as a basis for systems operation. However, full advantage of the capabilities of the electronic age can only be achieved by gathering information that has previously been impossible or impractical to obtain, developing more comprehensive analytic models, and applying the results with more precise automated control systems. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thinking about what can be done. As a starting point, we will gather ideas by diagraming the natural cycle that supplies our water, identifying losses and inefficiencies within it that might be reduced through more effective use of information for operating purposes, and examining existing reservoir operation procedures. The resulting list of potential applications for information and control systems provide direction for refining current automated operating systems. We can end by dreaming about a fully automated system for irrigation water delivery

An Energy Accounting Evaluation of Several Alternatives for Hydropower and Geothermal Development

Alternative management strategies for hydropower and geothermal development are myriad. This study does not attempt to evaluate or even summarize the many schemes which are possible. In an era of plentiful natural resources, economic analysis procedures for selecting a particular alternative have been developed which traditionally have tended to optimize on the basis of capital and labor. The approach taken in this study is based on the notion of optimum deployment of finite resources. A legitimate question which this study has attempted to address is: Does the construction of large water management facilities, such as hydropower dams, which involve huge amounts of energy, concrete, and steel, constitute an efficient use of basic resources? An energy accounting analysis technique is proposed, and using this procedure energy resource inputs are examined and compared for specific hydropower dams and geothermal power plants. The technique, though promising, still contains certain problems, and further development is needed in order to establish a consistent and uniform methodology. The energy accounting technique indicates that construction of hydropower facilities is a relatively efficient use of basic energy resources. However, because of large evaporation losses from storage reservoirs, water consumption per unit of power produced tends to be high. An analysis subsequent to the energy accounting approach suggests that combining once-through cooling of thermal power plants with pumped storage hydropower facilities could produce large water savings per unit of generated power. Further study of this configuration is recommended. The energy accounting technique also clearly identifies the high efficiency of geothermal power plants in terms of resource deployment. However, warm water geothermal resources of the type generally available in the intermountain region present formidable problems in utilization. The report proposes a he at exchange r system design which is capable of utilizing warm and highly mineralized waters, and recommends that the design be constructed and tested on a demonstration basis

Status and Design Concepts for the Hydrogen On-Orbit Storage and Supply Experiment

This paper studies concepts for the Hydrogen On-Orbit Storage and Supply Experiment (HOSS). HOSS is a space flight experiment whose objectives are: Show stable gas supply for storage and direct gain solar-thermal thruster designs; and evaluate and compare low-g performance of active and passive pressure control via a thermodynamic vent system (TVS) suitable for solar-thermal upper stages. This paper shows that the necessary experimental equipment for HOSS can be accommodated in a small hydrogen dewar of 36 to 80 liter. Thermal designs for these dewars which meet the on-orbit storage requirements can be achieved. Furthermore ground hold insulation and shielding concepts are achieved which enable storing initially subcooled liquid hydrogen in these small dewars without venting in excess of 144 hours

Cooling SABER with a miniature pulse tube refrigerator

Utah State University/Space Dynamics Laboratory (USU/SDL), teaming with NASA Langley Research Center, is currently building the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry(SABER) instrument. Stringent mass and power constraints, together with a greater than two year mission life, led to the selection of a TRW miniature pulse tube refrigerator to cool SABER\u27s infrared detectors to the required temperature of 75 K. This paper provides an overview of the SABER thermal management plan and the challenges encountered in matching the refrigerator characteristics with instrument performance requirements under the broadly variant space environments expected for this mission. Innovative technologies were developed to keep heat loads within the limited cooling capacity of the miniature refrigerator, as well as mechanically isolating but thermally connecting the refrigerator cold block to the focal plane assembly (FPA). A passive radiator will maintain the SABER telescope at an average temperature of 230 K while a separate radiator will reject heat from the refrigerator and electronics at approximately 260 K. Significant breadboard tests of various components of the SABER instrument have taken place and the details of one of these will be discussed. The test included attaching a miniature mechanical refrigerator, borrowed from the Air Force, to the SABER FPA. This opportunity gave the SABER team a significant head start in learning about integrating and testing issues related with the TRW miniature pulse tube refrigerator. SABER is scheduled to be launched in January 2000 as the primary instrument of NASA\u27s TIMED (Thermosphere-lonosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics) spacecraft. The TIMED program is being managed by the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University

Use of Saline Water in Energy Development

Maps were made of the Upper Colorado River Basin showing locations of coal deposits, oil and gas, oil shale, uranium, and tar sand, in relationship to cities and towns in the area. Superimposed on these are locations of wells showing four ranges of water quality; 1,000-3,000 mg/l, 3,000-10,000 mg/l, 10,000-35,000 mg/l, and over 35,000 mg/l. Information was assembled relative to future energy-related projects in the upper basin, and estimates were made of their anticipated water needs. Using computer models, various options were tested for using saline water for coal-fired power plant cooling. Both cooling towers and brine evaporation ponds were included. information is presented of several proven water treatment technologies, and comparisons are made of their cost effectiveness when placed in various combinations in the power plant makeup and blowdown water systems. A relative value scale was developed which compares graphically the relative values of water of different salinities based on three different water treatment options and predetermined upper limits of cooling tower circulating salinities. Coal from several different mines was slurried in waters of different salinities. Samples were analyzed in the laboratory to determine which constituents had been leached from or absorbed by the coal, and what possible deleterious effects this might have on the burning properties of the coal, or on the water for culinary use or irrigation

Energy Impacts of Water Based Recreation

The overall objective of the study reported here was to determine to what extent energy accounting could supplement and/or complement economic benfit/cost analyses of water management projects and to specifically examine the energy impacts of water based recreation. The energy accounting literature was carefully reviewed and an energy accounting methodology applicable to water management was devised. Data pertaining to receation at five reservoirs in Utah were assembled from visitation recoreds and on-site surveys. Energy requirements for site construction, travel to and from the recreation site, and recreation at the site were estimated. It was determined that energy devoted to water based recreation is not inconsequential. As much energy is devoted to recreation at Lake Powell alone as is required for all of production agriculture in Utah. It is suggested that while the models developed in this study could be used with confidence in the preparation of energy impact statements the authors are not persuaded energy accounting provides additional information to water use planners beyong that obtainable from traditional economic analysis

Optical Stability Testing of the Fiber Support Technology (FiST) Focal Plane Assembly of the SABER Instrument

The focal plane assembly ofthe Sounding ofthe Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument is supported using Fiber Support Technology (FiST) which utilizes high performance fibers in tension to mechanically support and thermally isolate a cooled component from a warm environment. Details ofthis approach were presented in detail at 5Pm meeting in Denver in 1996. The SABER team deemed it necessary to perform optical stability testing on this never-beforeflown technology for supporting focal plane assemblies to determine ifprecise positioning could be maintained through vibration and thermal cycling. After subjecting the support system to vibration and thermal cycling, the angular orientation between the warm outer support structure and the inner cold block was measured. Since the outer support structure serves as the reference location for positioning the focal plane assembly and the cold block is where the detectors reside, it was possible to determine ifFiST meets the optical stability requirements for the SABER instrument. The results from this testing are presented, discussed, and compared to the optical requirements ofthe SABER instrument. A briefsummary ofcurrent thermal and mechanical enhancements to the system will also be discusse

Concept Development for the Thermal Management of the Russian American Observational Satellites (RAMOS)

For the past several years, cryogenically cooled sensors have become an increasingly popular method of observation and study for both space-based and ground-based operations. Accordingly, various cooling techniques have been developed to accommodate this group of sensors. Because of rising performance standards and escalating cost limitations, cryocoolers have become an impressive cooling technique to consider. This report focuses on the use of a mechanical cryocooler in conjunction with the Russian American Observational Satellites (RAMOS), a future pair of earth-imaging satellites which will fly infrared radiometers. The RAMOS program consists of mapping the earth\u27s surface in stereo using two co-orbital satellites. The American Observational Satellite (AOS) will utilize an infrared radiometer with the telescope focal plane assembly (FPA) operating at approximately 60 K. The FPA will be cooled using a multiple cryocooler configuration. The use of multiple coolers introduces redundancy into the cooling system-a redundancy which has been absent from many previously flown satellites. In addition, the cooling system will incorporate various other new technologies, such as thermal disconnects, a thermal storage unit, low-resistance flexible thermal links, etc., to meet the overall system objectives and requirements. Thermal storage units are discussed as a means of eliminating cryocooler self-induced vibration and passively controlling FP A temperatures. Incorporating thermal switches and thermal storage units into a cooling system design can alleviate the concerns of cryocooler vibration and parasitic heat loads. An understanding of these concepts and configurations will assist in the design of similar optical instruments for both space-based and ground-based exploration campaigns

Food engineering fundamentals

xi, 300 p.; 23 cm

Food engineering fundamentals

xi, 300 p.; 23 cm