Techno-Economic Analysis of Using Solar PV System for Auxiliary Power in a Power Plant

Qatar considered among the countries with the largest per capita electricity consumption. Most of the electricity in Qatar generated in power plants, which use natural gas as the fuel. Qatar has initiated plans to utilize renewable energies to produce 20% of electricity needs by 2030. In this study, the feasibility of using electricity generated by a solar PV system in a power plant is studied through technical and economic analysis. The solar PV system is designed to produce about 15 MW of electricity to feed the power plant auxiliary systems. In this study, a collection of data on power consumption, gas consumption, irradiation and area available for installing solar PV was used to size the maximum capacity of the solar system. Then the cost of installing and utilizing the solar PV system is analyzed. This cost analysis was carried out by first calculating the investment cost of the proposed design and the net present value (NPV). The net present value calculations were done for different scenarios. The first scenario is increasing power plant power capacity. The second scenario is KAHARAMAA to invest 15%, and the third scenario is KAHRAMAA to introduce support initiatives by increasing the cost of electricity by 15 %. The fourth scenario is selling the gas surplus globally. The net present value of all scenarios was found as -$32,717,799, -$23,100,399, -$26,797,148, and$1,353,192 respectively. The study concludes that a solar PV system in Qatar is technically feasible, but a support initiative should be considered. This is due to the low current prices of natural gas and electricity tariffs. This project recommends increasing electricity prices to reflect its actual economic cost. Moreover, the government, along with the power plants, shall invest in utilizing a solar PV system in power plants to reduce gas consumption. So that the saved gas can be exported for income. Those recommendations are proposed to make renewable energy technology adoption in Qatar more feasible

Studying Reactivity Relationships of Copolymers N-naphthylacrylamide with (Acrylicacid and Methylacrylate)

            The organation ⁄monomer N-naphthylacrylamide (NAA) was prepared; subsequently the synthesized monomer was successfully copolymerized with acrylicacid (AA) and methylacrylate (MA) by free radical technique using dry benzene as solvent and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as initiator. The overall conversion was kept low (≤ 10% wt/wt) for all studies copolymers samples. The synthesized monomer and copolymers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and their thermal properties were studied by DSC and TGA. The copolymers compositions were determined by elemental analysis. Kelen-Tudes and Finmman-Ross graphical procedures were employed to determine the monomers reactivity ratios. The derived reactivity ratios (r1, r2) are: (0.048, 0.687) for (NAA-co-AA) and (0.066, 0.346) for (NAA-co-MA). Based on the average reactivity ratios, sequence distribution of monomers in the copolymers and the microstructure of copolymers were calculated by statistical method and found that these values are in agreement with the derived reactivity ratios

Investigations of physical properties of novel magnetic and non- magnetic two-dimensional (2D) alloys.

This research work reports investigations of structural and physical properties of novel magnetic and non-magnetic 2D alloys. Three techniques were utilized in this investigation: Angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy (ARPRS), Electrical &Thermoelectric power measurements, Magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) spectroscopy. ARPRS and MOKE experiments were constructed during the course of this work. ARPRS was used to study the anisotropy of 2-dimensional black-arsenic phosphors (b-AsxP1-x) as a function of arsenic concentration (x). It was observed experimentally that all Raman modes of the studied samples with x=0, 0.4, 0.8 exhibit polarization dependence. More interestingly, the polarization dependence of Raman modes due to the vibrations of Arsenic and Phosphoros atoms could not be explained unless a superposition of the two in-plane vibrational modes (A2g and B2g) is considered. A comprehensive theoretical calculation by DFT was conducted and the result of the theoretical calculation agrees very well with experiment. In addition, ARP Raman measurements were performed on 2-dimensional Cr2Se3 grown on a Si/SiO2 substrate. These samples can manifest in two distinct crystal structures: Trigonal and Triclinic. Both crystal structures have been predicted theoretically. However, so far only the Trigonal crystal structure has been observed experimentally. Through ARPTS and XRD measurements, we report for the first time the observation of Cr2Se3 with triclinic crystal structure. Next, the temperature dependence of thermopower (Seebeck coefficient) and 4-probe resistance of Cr2Se3 crystals were investigated. These measurements showed a conventional nondegenerate semiconductor behavior with thermopower changing sign as the temperature was decreased. Lastly, a highly sensitive magneto-optic Kerr effect system was developed for measuring magnetic hysteresis, as well as optical and magneto-optical constants of magnetic ultrathin films and nanostructures

Unsteady flamelet progress variable modeling of reacting diesel jets

Accurate modeling of turbulence/chemistry interactions in turbulent reacting diesel jets is critical to the development of predictive computational tools for diesel engines. The models should be able to predict the transient physical and chemical processes in the jets such as ignition and flame lift-off. In the first part of this work, an existing unsteady flamelet progress variable (UFPV) model is employed in Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations and large-eddy simulations (LES) to assess its accuracy. The RANS simulations predict that ignition occurs toward the leading tip of the jet, followed by ignition front propagation toward the stoichiometric surface, and flame propagation upstream along the stoichiometric surface until the flame stabilizes at the lift-off height. The LES, on the other hand, predicts ignition at multiple points in the jet, followed by flame development from the ignition kernels, merger of the different flames and then stabilization. The UFPV model assumes that combustion occurs in thin zones known as flamelets and turbulent strain characterized by the scalar dissipation rate modifies the flame structure. Since the flamelet is thinner than the smallest grid size employed in RANS or LES, the effect of the turbulence is modeled through probability distribution functions of the independent variables. The accuracy of the assumptions of the model is assessed in this work through direct numerical simulations (DNS) which resolves the flame. The DNS is carried out in turbulent mixing layers since the combustion in a diesel jet occurs in the fuel/air mixing layer surrounding the jet. ^ The DNS results show that the flamelet model is applicable but that its implementation in the UFPV model is flawed because the effects of expansion due to heat release and increase in diffusivity due to rise in temperature are not accounted for in the formulation of the scalar dissipation rate. A new diffusivity-corrected flamelet model is proposed which leads to an improved prediction of flame development. Furthermore, it is shown that the most commonly used approach to calculate the scalar dissipation rate in LES of reacting flows leads to large errors when the LES grid size is large. The DNS results are used to determine the best model for the filtered scalar dissipation rate and its PDF under diesel engine conditions. A new model is derived for the variance of the scalar dissipation rate. The DNS results are also used to compare the performance of the UFPV model with the Perfectly Stirred Reactor (PSR) model predictions. It is shown that the UFPV model performance is superior for turbulent intensities and grid sizes encountered in diesel engine application

The Effect of Special Exercises with the Overlap of Two Styles (Total and Partial) Using Aids in Learning Freestyle Skills for Beginners Aged (17-20) Years

The teacher and trainer strive to enhance the exercise's caliber in numerous ways, such as diversifying and elongating it. Their objective is to reach the learner's optimal level of efficient and effective learning during educational or training units focusing on sports prowess. The exercise's successful design plays a major role in completing the learning process, as per the researcher's analysis. The researcher opted to overlap the total and partial methods for learning free swimming skills. Teaching free style swimming proves difficult due to a lack of appropriate teaching methods for these more challenging ages. This poses a research problem for the researcher. Young adults in their late teens to early twenties can find it daunting to learn how to swim if they were not exposed to the skill in their childhood. Their lack of familiarity with the water can easily give way to fear, making it difficult for them to break free and learn how to swim. To tackle this problem, a researcher devised special exercises that utilize both partial and total approaches to aid beginners in mastering freestyle swimming. This study aims to help those between 17 to 20 years old overcome their fear and acquire the essential skill: Preparing exercises for the overlap of two styles (total and partial) using means of aid in learning freestyle skills for beginners ages (17-20) years. Learning freestyle skills can be challenging, especially for beginners in the age range of 17-20. To combat this, an exercise program is being tested that involves both total and partial styles and uses aids to enhance the learning experience. The goal is to analyze the effect this program has on skill acquisition and improvement. Using an experimental approach, the researcher identified the community and research sample of beginners aged 17-20 years, who were taking swimming courses at the Diamond Pool - Holy Karbala. Their design included a pre and post measurement format for one experimental group

Exploring Female Empowerment: A Comparative Study of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre

This research paper explores female empowerment in literature via a comparative analysis of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. The paper examines the main female characters in each novel, their portrayal of agency, independence, and autonomy, and the social and cultural factors that shape their experiences. Through this analysis, the paper identifies the similarities and differences in the approaches taken by Austen and Brontë, and discusses the implications of these findings for our understanding of female empowerment in literature and society. The paper argues that both novels offer powerful critiques of patriarchal society and highlight the need for collective action and solidarity among women, in order to achieve true empowerment. The research contributes to our understanding of gender and empowerment in literature, and provides insights into the on-going struggle for gender equality

Corporate social responsibility, institutional investors’ ownership, financial restatements and sell-side analysts’ stock recommendations

In Malaysia, the capital market regulators have recently given prominent attention to issues such as corporate responsibility (CSR), shareholder activism and integrity in financial reporting by issuing the Sustainability Reporting Guide (2015) and Malaysian Code for Institutional Investors (2014). Given the importance of these issues, this study examines whether CSR, institutional investors’ ownership, and financial restatements influence stock recommendations made by analysts. It employs a dataset from a panel of 285 Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs) for the period 2008 to 2013 (737 company-year observations). The results show a positive and significant influence of CSR reporting on the stock recommendations, which means that analysts issue more favourable stock recommendations for companies with higher CSR disclosures. Further, the findings indicate that the presence of both transient and dedicated institutional investors are viewed positively by analysts. In particular, the results indicate that analysts issue more favourable stock recommendations for the companies with higher levels of transient and dedicated institutional investors’ ownership. In addition, the results also show that analysts tend to give favourable stock recommendations for companies that restated their financial statements, contrary to expectation. These findings imply that analysts tend to echo government initiatives by giving favourable stock recommendations to companies with greater engagement in CSR activities and the ability to attract institutional investors. The findings also suggest that analysts view financial restatements as informative rather than opportunistic. Overall, these findings should be useful to PLCs and policymakers. PLCs might use the findings to understand the preferences of sell-side analysts towards CSR engagement. Furthermore, policymakers might use it to recognize the important role played by institutional investors in monitoring investee companies and to understand how analysts perceive and evaluate restated companies

Advancements In Crowd-Monitoring System: A Comprehensive Analysis of Systematic Approaches and Automation Algorithms: State-of-The-Art

Growing apprehensions surrounding public safety have captured the attention of numerous governments and security agencies across the globe. These entities are increasingly acknowledging the imperative need for reliable and secure crowd-monitoring systems to address these concerns. Effectively managing human gatherings necessitates proactive measures to prevent unforeseen events or complications, ensuring a safe and well-coordinated environment. The scarcity of research focusing on crowd monitoring systems and their security implications has given rise to a burgeoning area of investigation, exploring potential approaches to safeguard human congregations effectively. Crowd monitoring systems depend on a bifurcated approach, encompassing vision-based and non-vision-based technologies. An in-depth analysis of these two methodologies will be conducted in this research. The efficacy of these approaches is contingent upon the specific environment and temporal context in which they are deployed, as they each offer distinct advantages. This paper endeavors to present an in-depth analysis of the recent incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and models into automated systems, emphasizing their contemporary applications and effectiveness in various contexts

Synthesizing architecture and informality : the influence of informality in creating a responsive architecture towards the design of a resilience hub for the community of the Quarry Road informal settlement.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The world is currently facing rapid urbanization with the largest number of people moving from rural areas and countrysides to urban cores. This holds especially true in South Africa. However, as a result of a history of injustices and segregation perpetuated by apartheid and colonialism, a large portion of the South African population remains marginalised even today and occupy the left over space on the frays of cities in informal settlements, enduring poverty and exceedingly hazardous environments. Durban, the location of this study, has nearly a quarter of its inhabitants living in informal settlements (Informalcity, 2012). In a context where these informal settlement communities have become insurgent and have begun to fight for their “right to the city” and a better quality of life, the authorities have been coerced to change their policies on informal settlements and to seek a route towards their normalization as part of South African cities. It is in this context that architecture ought to revaluate its role in responding to the plight of informal settlement communities and to respond to Holston’s (in Bremner, 2010) call for a reinvention of modernist architecture’s social imperatives in these insurgent spaces. The aim of this dissertation is to explore how informality and the culture of informal settlement communities can inform architecture as a means of creating better and more responsive architectural interventions to the issues faced by communities within informal settlements. It hypothesizes that a synthesis of the architecture and informality; through an understanding of the existing socio-spatial dynamics, culture, economic networks, insurgent practices and approach to the production of built form of informal settlement communities; can produce a more responsive architecture capable of increasing informal settlement communities’ resilience to site specific challenges, improve their quality of life and ultimately aid them towards their hopes and aspirations. The literature, precedents and case studies on the subject assist in developing an understanding of the context of urban informality, the lifestyle and daily plight of the informal settlement dweller, as well as approaches towards ameliorating the challenges these communities face through a synthesis of formal and informal processes. Theories such as Culture and Identity, Insurgency and Informality provide insight into the daily life of informal settlements. Critical Regionalism begins to look at a more responsive architectural approach towards the informal, characterised by informal influences. The outcome of the architectural approach developed in this dissertation will be the conceptualization of a Resilience Hub for the Quarry Road West informal settlement community with the aim of responding to and ameliorating site specific challenges the community faces on a daily basis and ultimately improving their quality of life