Pathways to net zero for power and industry in the United Kingdom

Climate change mitigation is amongst the key challenges of the Anthropocene. The United Kingdom has declared its interest in leading the way to net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The debate around technologically feasible, economically viable, and socially optimal pathways to a carbon neutral energy system and economy is ongoing. This thesis aims to contribute to questions concerning the decarbonisation of power and industry in the UK. To this end, the technological viewpoint, the system viewpoint, and public viewpoint are assumed. First, electrification of heat and transport is quantified, and the role and value of power-to-gas storage as novel technology is analysed. Second, the industrial sector is modelled, and pathways for the combined decarbonisation of power and industry are investigated. Third, trajectories to net zero are connected to economic growth and employment, bridging the gap between technology-focused energy systems modelling and the macroeconomic layer. It is found that seasonal effects are significant in the energy system under electrification and increasing deployment levels of intermittent renewable energy. Inter-seasonal storage and/or low-carbon dispatchable power generation are required to ensure a reliable supply of electricity. Cost-optimal abatement technologies in industry are identified. The emissions balance between the power and industrial sectors is evaluated, with power reaching carbon negativity in the 2040s, and offsetting residual emissions in industry in 2050. Carbon capture and sequestration emerges as key technology in trajectories to net zero. The effects of policy instruments, including a carbon price and negative emissions credit, are quantified, and the importance of a compromise between private and public sector is highlighted. Further, a net zero target is estimated to increase value added and employment. Importing industrial goods and offshoring emissions vs. expanding domestic production and exporting low-carbon products, as well as locally sourcing vs. importing technology components and raw materials are shown to greatly impact value and job creation.Open Acces

Lògica Fuzzy

Treballs Finals de Grau de Matemàtiques, Facultat de Matemàtiques, Universitat de Barcelona, Any: 2015, Director: Joan Gispert BrasFuzzy logic is a logic that studies the vague reasoning. In this work we introduce fuzzy logic and we develop it as multivalued logic. We choose to build semantically and syntactically the MTL logic, the most basic of fuzzy logics, and prove the most important completeness theorems

Museu, educação e curadoria: diálogos possíveis

SIAM. Series Iberoamericanas de Museología. Año 3, Vol.

Analysis of low altitude atmospheric turbulence data measured in flight

All three components of turbulence were measured simultaneously in flight at each wing tip of a Beech D-18 aircraft. The flights were conducted at low altitude, 30.5 - 61.0 meters (100-200 ft.), over water in the presence of wind driven turbulence. Statistical properties of flight measured turbulence were compared with Gaussian and non-Gaussian turbulence models. Spatial characteristics of the turbulence were analyzed using the data from flight perpendicular and parallel to the wind. The probability density distributions of the vertical gusts show distinctly non-Gaussian characteristics. The distributions of the longitudinal and lateral gusts are generally Gaussian. The power spectra compare in the inertial subrange at some points better with the Dryden spectrum, while at other points the von Karman spectrum is a better approximation. In the low frequency range the data show peaks or dips in the power spectral density. The cross between vertical gusts in the direction of the mean wind were compared with a matched non-Gaussian model. The real component of the cross spectrum is in general close to the non-Gaussian model. The imaginary component, however, indicated a larger phase shift between these two gust components than was found in previous research

Is the vagus nerve our neural connectome?

What are the implications of the vagus nerve being able to mediate the time-dependent plasticity of an array of sensorimotor networks

Design and Validation of a Low Cost High Speed Atomic Force Microscope

The Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) is an important instrument in nanoscale topography, but it is expensive and slow. The authors designed an AFM to overcome both limitations. To do this, they used an Optical Pickup Unit (OPU) from a DVD player as the laser and photodetector system to minimize cost and they did not implement a vertical control loop, which maximized potential speed. Students will be able to be use this device to make nanoscale measurements and engage in micro-engineering. To prototype this idea, the authors tested an OPU with a silicon wafer and demonstrated the ability to consistently distinguish different distances based on the OPU output. Additional testing was done in order to measure the sensitivity of the OPU using a more robust signal conditioning system. The result of their work is that the system they designed has a resolution of 65 nm on static samples and 1 μm on dynamic samples. Further work is needed to improve the resolution of this system, reduce noise, calibrate the system, and minimize drift

Why don´t you express youself so that I can understand?

Purpose: Create an overall understanding of computers/software and cognitive science. We also want to investigate discrepancies in 4 particular software systems (The discrepancies are between human/computer and NOT between the computer systems). We also want to investigate if eventual discrepancies, or successes, in the programs might have a connection to the human cognition. Meaning; are these systems built in a way that suits the evolutionary cognitive mind? (I.e.: how the human brain/mind works). Finally, with the help of the four systems as practical examples, we wish to indicate the potential for further financial gain when designing software systems as a whole, using a cognitive approach. Methodology: Due to the difficulty in extracting some of the confidential information, we had to write the thesis as an explorative adapted study, relying heavily on interviews, workshops and an explorative case study. The case being the Liverpool Museum project, researching children’s answers of a museum filed trip. We also chose to make two surveys of our own. These will be either added as appendixes, and/or described in the text. Theory: Main: Cognitive Science, focusing on the work by Dave Snowden. Supporting/explaining; Computational complexity, Web scraping, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), Black Swan and Knowledge Management. Empirical foundation: Primary data consist of interviews, workshops and a survey of LinkedIn.com and Monster.com. Secondary data consists of scientific articles and information from the Internet and an investigation of two confidential search engines. Findings and Conclusions: The investigation of the four search systems illustrates that there is a software design aspect linked to cognitive science. More research is necessary before any clear conclusions can be made, but this thesis implied that a least a part of the investigated discrepancy is caused by neglect of the human cognition when developing software. This also indicates that there is a potential for efficiency impact in financial terms, if considering this in future software development

The Effects of a Highly Cambered Low-Drag Wing and of Auxiliary Flaps on the High-Speed Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Twin-Engine Pursuit Airplane Model

Results are presented for tests of two wings, an NACA 230-series wing and a highly-cambered NACA 66-series wing on a twin-engine pursuit airplane. Auxiliary control flaps were tested in combinations with each wing. Data showing comparison of high-speed aerodynamic characteristics of the model when equipped with each wing, the effect of the auxiliary control flaps on aerodynamic characteristics, and elevator effectiveness for the model with the 66-series wing are presented. High-speed aerodynamic characteristics of the model were improved with the 66-series wing

Development and application of a non-Gaussian atmospheric turbulence model for use in flight simulators

A method is described for generating time histories which model the frequency content and certain non-Gaussian probability characteristics of atmospheric turbulence including the large gusts and patchy nature of turbulence. Methods for time histories using either analog or digital computation are described. A STOL airplane was programmed into a 6-degree-of-freedom flight simulator, and turbulence time histories from several atmospheric turbulence models were introduced. The pilots' reactions are described