The steady flow between reservoirs with different density and level through a contraction

This paper presents a complete analytical solution of steady gravity flow between two reservoirs connected by a channel of slowly varying breadth and containing fluids of different densities and levels. The hydrostatic approximation is used and dissipation is neglected. It is shown that seven different regimes are possible depending on the value of the parameter δ = γ/ε, which is the ratio of relative lighter and denser reservoir level difference, γ, to positive relative density difference, ε. The exact solution of the problem is obtained for all these regimes. If the level of the heavier fluid reservoir is higher than the level of lighter fluid reservoir, δ ≤ 0, then the denser fluid plunges under the lighter motionless fluid. If δ ≥ 1, the lighter fluid runs up on a wedge of the motionless denser fluid. If 0 \u3c δ \u3c 1, two-directional exchange flow occurs. The exact analytical expressions for layer discharges for the entire range of the parameters ε and δ are found and discussed. Wood\u27s (1970) experimental data with nonsmall ε are in good agreement with the theory. When ε → 0 an exchange regime exists as long as γ → 0 to keep their ratio between 0 and 1, 1 \u3e γ/ε \u3e 0. At this limit the existence of an exchange flow and the solution depend only on the ratio γ/ε, not the values of γ and ε individually, and the Boussinesq approximation can be used. Some examples of application of the theory to prediction of mass and volume transport through a contraction for steady and quasi-steady flows are given

Impact of climate change and development scenarios on flow patterns in the Okavango River

This paper lays the foundation for the use of scenario modelling as a tool for integrated water resource management in the Okavango River basin. The Pitman hydrological model is used to assess the impact of various development and climate change scenarios on downstream river flow. The simulated impact on modelled river discharge of increased water use for domestic use, livestock, and informal irrigation (proportional to expected population increase) is very limited. Implementation of all likely potential formal irrigation schemes mentioned in available reports is expected to decrease the annual flow by 2% and the minimum monthly flow by 5%. The maximum possible impact of irrigation on annual average flow is estimated as 8%, with a reduction of minimum monthly flow by 17%. Deforestation of all areas within a 1 km buffer around the rivers is estimated to increase the flow by 6%. However, construction of all potential hydropower reservoirs in the basin may change the monthly mean flow distribution dramatically, although under the assumed operational rules, the impact of the dams is only substantial during wet years. The simulated impacts of climate change are considerable larger that those of the development scenarios (with exception of the high development scenario of hydropower schemes) although the results are sensitive to the choice of GCM and the IPCC SRES greenhouse gas (GHG) emission scenarios. The annual mean water flow predictions for the period 2020-2050 averaged over scenarios from all the four GCMs used in this study are close to the present situation for both the A2 and B2 GHG scenarios. For the 2050-2080 and 2070-2099 periods the all-GCM mean shows a flow decrease of 20% (14%) and 26% (17%) respectively for the A2 (B2) GHG scenarios. However, the uncertainty in the magnitude of simulated future changes remains high. The simulated effect of climate change on minimum monthly flow is proportionally higher

Federal and State Structures to Support Financing Utility-Scale Solar Projects and the Business Models Designed to Utilize Them

Utility-scale solar projects have grown rapidly in number and size over the last few years, driven in part by strong renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and federal incentives designed to stimulate investment in renewable energy technologies. This report provides an overview of such policies, as well as the project financial structures they enable, based on industry literature, publicly available data, and questionnaires conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Developmental expression of retinoic acid receptors (RARs)

Here, I review the developmental expression features of genes encoding the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and the 'retinoid X' or rexinoid receptors (RXRs). The first detailed expression studies were performed in the mouse over two decades ago, following the cloning of the murine Rar genes. These studies revealed complex expression features at all stages of post-implantation development, one receptor gene (Rara) showing widespread expression, the two others (Rarb and Rarg) with highly regionalized and/or cell type-specific expression in both neural and non-neural tissues. Rxr genes also have either widespread (Rxra, Rxrb), or highly-restricted (Rxrg) expression patterns. Studies performed in zebrafish and Xenopus demonstrated expression of Rar and Rxr genes (both maternal and zygotic), at early pre-gastrulation stages. The eventual characterization of specific enzymes involved in the synthesis of retinoic acid (retinol/retinaldehyde dehydrogenases), or the triggering of its catabolism (CYP26 cytochrome P450s), all of them showing differential expression patterns, led to a clearer understanding of the phenomenons regulated by retinoic acid signaling during development. Functional studies involving targeted gene disruptions in the mouse, and additional approaches such as dominant negative receptor expression in other models, have pinpointed the specific, versus partly redundant, roles of the RARs and RXRs in many developing organ systems. These pleiotropic roles are summarized hereafter in relationship to the receptors’ expression patterns

The impact of atypical intrahospital transfers on patient outcomes: a mixed methods study

The architectural design of hospitals worldwide is centred around individual departments, which require the movement of patients between wards. However, patients do not always take the simplest route from admission to discharge, but can experience convoluted movement patterns, particularly when bed availability is low. Few studies have explored the impact of these rarer, atypical trajectories. Using a mixed-method explanatory sequential study design, we firstly used three continuous years of electronic health record data prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, from 55,152 patients admitted to a London hospital network to define the ward specialities by patient type using the Herfindahl–Hirschman index. We explored the impact of ‘regular transfers’ between pairs of wards with shared specialities, ‘atypical transfers’ between pairs of wards with no shared specialities and ‘site transfers’ between pairs of wards in different hospital site locations, on length of stay, 30-day readmission and mortality. Secondly, to understand the possible reasons behind atypical transfers we conducted three focus groups and three in-depth interviews with site nurse practitioners and bed managers within the same hospital network. We found that at least one atypical transfer was experienced by 12.9% of patients. Each atypical transfer is associated with a larger increase in length of stay, 2.84 days (95% CI 2.56–3.12), compared to regular transfers, 1.92 days (95% CI 1.82–2.03). No association was found between odds of mortality, or 30-day readmission and atypical transfers after adjusting for confounders. Atypical transfers appear to be driven by complex patient conditions, a lack of hospital capacity, the need to reach specific services and facilities, and more exceptionally, rare events such as major incidents. Our work provides an important first step in identifying unusual patient movement and its impacts on key patient outcomes using a system-wide, data-driven approach. The broader impact of moving patients between hospital wards, and possible downstream effects should be considered in hospital policy and service planning

Investigation of modified speciation for enhanced control of mercury

Mercury was identified as a hazardous air pollutant in Title 3 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. It has been singled out for particular scrutiny because of its behavior in the environment (bioaccumulation) and its potential for deleterious effects on humans and wildlife. After studying the sources of mercury in the environment, the US Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that coal-fired boilers generate a significant fraction of the total anthropogenic emissions. Therefore, the agency is currently considering whether to impose mercury control requirements on coal-fired boilers in the electric utility industry. However, the costs for potential control measures (such as sorbent injection) can be extremely high. Mercury removal with chloric acid solutions was tested. The presence of NO increased Hg removal. It appeared that both gas-gas and gas-liquids reactions were operating, with the gas-phase reactions involving NO becoming increasingly important as the solute concentration was raised. From these studies, it was concluded that even higher Hg{sup 0} removals could be obtained if more of the reagent was made available for reaction in the gas phase. For this reason (and also to simulate a more real-world duct-injection process) a new series of tests was initiated in which an ultrasonic atomizer was used to inject small droplets of the oxidizing solutions into a flowing gas stream containing Hg{sup 0} vapors and other typical flue-gas components. The results of those tests are described in this paper

Critical Review of Mercury Chemistry in Flue Gas.

Mercury (Hg) and its compounds have long been recognized as potentially hazardous to human health and the environment. Many man-made sources of mercury have been reduced in recent years through process changes and control measures. However, emissions of mercury from coal-fired power plants, while exceedingly dilute by the usual pollution standards, still constitute a major source when considered in the aggregate. Concerns over those emissions and the prospect of impending emissions regulations have led to a wide range of research projects dealing with the measurement and control of mercury in flue gas. This work has made considerable progress in improving the understanding of mercury emissions and their behavior, but inconsistencies and unexpected results have also shown that a better understanding of mercury chemistry is needed. To develop a more complete understanding of where additional research on mercury chemistry is needed, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) asked Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) to conduct a critical review of the available information as reported in the technical literature. The objectives were to summarize the current state of the art of chemistry knowledge, identify significant knowledge gaps, and recommend future research to resolve those gaps. An initial evaluation of potential review topics indicated that the scope of the review would need to be limited and focused on the most important topics relative to mercury control. To aid in this process, Argonne developed a brief survey that was circulated to researchers in the field who could help identify and prioritize the many aspects of the problem. The results of the survey were then used to design and guide a highly focused literature search that identified key papers for analysis. Each paper was reviewed, summarized, and evaluated for the relevance and quality of the information presented. The results of that work provided the basis for conclusions regarding the state of knowledge of mercury chemistry and recommendations for further research. This report begins by summarizing the survey process and describing how the results were used to shape the critical review. Analyses of information obtained from the various publications are presented chronologically, beginning with the earliest relevant publication found and concluding with the end of the review in early 2003. Finally, the conclusions and recommendations for future research are presented. The survey instrument is included in Appendix A, while detailed information on each of the publications reviewed is given in Appendix B