Dual source solar assisted heat pump model development, validation and comparison to conventional systems

This paper presents a new SAHP system integrated with hybrid photovoltaic/thermal panels (PVT). The main components of the system developed are a dual-source HP, PVT panels and two storage tanks. The use of two storage tanks allows to directly store the hot water for DHW if water temperature reaches the set-point or to send it to the cold storage. On the other side, the use of two heat exchangers on source side, allows the system to switch from air to the cold tank increasing system’s performances. In this work the developed system is compared with two conventional systems: an AWHP integrated with standard photovoltaic panels and an AWHP integrated with hybrid PVT panels for DHW production only. Those systems were investigated for a single family house, through one year simulation in the TRNSYS software. Control strategy, size of the tanks and number of panels were investigated with parametric studies. Thanks to the good results of the simulations, an experimental prototype has been designed and built. Data observed from first monitoring campaign highlighted better performances than expected. After a season of investigation and data analysis for the system, new findings will be illustrate

First video documented presence of Mediterranean monk seal in Southern Apulia (Italy)

Sightings of Endangered monk seal (Monachus monachus) specimens have been increasingly reported along the coasts of its historic Mediterranean distribution over the last two decades, even from countries where the species was considered extinct for about half a century. These encounters have been documented and verified particularly along the coasts of the Adriatic-Ionian basin. The activities carried out in Salento (Southern Apulia, Italy) since 2012, engaging with local protected areas, authorities and different stakeholders (organizations, museums, universities, fishermen’s cooperatives and tourism sectors enterprises) allowed us to record and verify 10 monk seal sightings (from 2009 to 2014) in the area. However, the last sighting with photographic documentation dates back to 1973. In June 2017, after six years of monitoring and awareness of the territory, immediately after the sighting, we received a video evidence of such presence. The footage, and the resulting interview with the witnesses, documented the presence of a Mediterranean monk seal’s specimen, about 2 meters in length, along the coast of Tricase (Lecce, Apulia). This new event has a remarkable importance to the hypothesis that Salento and the Adriatic-Ionian basin might play an important role in the overall conservation of the specie

Energetic and economic analysis of a solar assisted heat pump for pasteurization process

In the present paper, the energetic and economic analysis of a solar-assisted heat pump for an industrial pasteurization process is investigated. The considered system consists of thermal energy storage, a water-to-water heat pump and a solar field made up of both photovoltaic-thermal collectors and evacuated tube collectors. A mathematical model of each component of the system is built and validated, while the overall model of the system is built with a bottom-up approach. The energetic and economic analysis is performed on a yearly basis varying the storage size and the solar field size and considering a boiler-only scenario as the reference system. The results show that, from the energetic point of view, the best system could provide up to 90% of the energy required by the process and, consequently, significantly reduce auxiliary boiler consumption. On the other side, from an economic point of view, the best solution provides a minimum payback time approximately equal to 8 years with 14.4% internal rate of return

Sedimentation and time-of-transition techniques for measuring grain-size distributions in lagoonal flats: comparability of results

A comparative study was performed of three instruments used to measure the grain-size distribution of thirty sediment samples from shallow lagoonal flats: the hydrometer, the Sedigraph 5100 and the CIS-1. The hydrometer and Sedigraph are based on sedimentation whereas the CIS-1 uses the time of transition. The percentage of the samples accounted for by the <8 lm fraction was not affected by the technique used, but this was not the case with the clay fraction (<2 lm). Due to its relative independence from the analytical method applied, the <8 lm fraction can be used in ternary diagram classifications. This fraction also has an environmental significance in coastal lagoons in terms of hydrodynamics, organic enrichment and macrozoobenthos assemblages. The linear relationships obtained in this study may provide useful operational indications for similar studies

A penhorabilidade das aplicações financeiras em renda fixa e em fundos de previdência privada no processo civil

The expansion of access to information creates an environment conducive to structural changes in all societies and in the matter of investments, this fact is no different. The greater interest in the public's commitment to becoming investors means that certain specific points, the law and jurisprudence can no longer meet the needs of the protected by the state. The present study aims to analyze the unfolding of the lack of updating and the modernization of the legislation and court judgments regarding investments in fixed income and in relation to private pension plans.Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação)A ampliação do acesso à informação cria um ambiente propício para alterações estruturais em todas as sociedades e no que concerne os investimentos, esse fato não é diferente. O maior interesse em engajamento por parte da população em se tornar investidores faz com que alguns pontos específicos da legislação e do entendimento jurisprudencial não consigam mais suprir as necessidades dos jurisdicionados. O presente trabalho visa, averiguando casos concretos, analisar todos os desdobramentos da falta de atualização e a própria modernização da legislação e dos julgados dos tribunais na matéria de penhora de investimentos em renda fixa e em relação aos planos de previdência privada

Input of various chemicals transported by Saharan dust and depositing at the sea surface in the Mediterranean sea

This paper reviews work on the role of Saharan dust as a contribution of various chemical to the Mediterranean basin. Both the magnitude and the mineralogical composition of atmospheric dust inputs indicate that eolian deposition is an important (50%) or even dominant (>80%) contribution to sediments in the offshore waters of the entire Mediterranean basin. The Mediterranean Sea is a semi-enclosed basin, that receives substances sporadically from the arid region of the Sahara desert. We considered the location and strength of source areas, the transport paths of material away from the desert, the number of Saharan dust transports per year, the way to be dust is deposited (wet and dry mode), the fluxes of Saharan dust, the nature of the material, and the contribution of nutrients to the sea surface. Estimates of atmospheric inputs to the Mediterranean and some coastal areas are reviewed. Model data for nutrients indicate that the atmosphere delivers the nitrogen and one-third of total phosphorus to the entire basin. Measured data in sub-basins, such as the Western Mediterranean and Eastern Mediterranean indicate an even greater proportions of atmospheric versus riverine input. New production supported by atmospheric nitrogen deposition ranges from 2–4 g C m -2 yr -1 , whereas atmospheric phosphorus deposition appears to support less than 1 g C m -2 yr -1 . In spite of the apparently small contribution of atmospheric deposition to overall production in the basin it has been suggested that certain episodic phytoplankton blooms are triggered by atmospheric deposition of N, P or Fe. Iron fluxes may be important in determining the nature and quantity of carbon fluxes from Fe-rich areas (like MED Sea), in addition to Fe-poor areas such as the extant Southern Ocean. A geophysiological model shows that iron removal from the photic zone does occur at a much higher rate than the conventional biological pump can account for and that this might release the risk of excessive phosphate scavenging

Variazioni geomorfologiche nell’area centrale della Laguna di Venezia. Elaborazione di cartografia storica e foto aeree

Nel corso degli ultimi secoli l’evoluzione geomorfologica della Laguna di Venezia è stata notevolmente condizionata dai numerosi interventi antropici condotti in tutto il bacino e nelle zone limitrofe, i cui effetti si sono sommati a quelli indotti dai processi naturali costieri. L’analisi delle modificazioni avvenute nel settore centrale della laguna, particolarmente vulnerabile poiché sede della città di Venezia, del porto turistico e del polo industriale, è stata l’obiettivo di questo studio. A tal fine l’esame della cartografia storica (disponibile a partire dal 1500) ha assunto un ruolo fondamentale, fornendo informazioni uniche e precise sull’assetto passato del territorio, mentrele fotografie aeree (dal 1954) hanno reso un importante contributo al riconoscimento dei cambiamenti più recenti. L’interpretazione congiunta di dati preesistenti soprattutto di carattere geomorfologico e morfodinamico e di informazioni relative alle opere realizzate dall’uomo nei secoli ha permesso di ricostruire l’evoluzione dell’area e di conoscere i rapporti causa-effetto tra evoluzione del paesaggio e processi naturali e antropici. Lo studio è stato condotto con tecnologia GIS (Geographic Information System). Carte e immagini sono state quindi georeferenziate ed è stata creata una banca dati attraverso cui visualizzare ed elaborare diverse tipologie di informazioni geografiche all’interno di un unico progetto di analisi territoriale. Il lavoro ha permesso di mettere in evidenza: (a) i diversi tentativi di deviazione del tratto finale del Fiume Brenta per evitare che, con i suoi apparati deltizi endolagunari, potesse interrare la laguna centrale minacciando così l’integrità di Venezia, (b) gli effetti che tali diversioni hanno prodotto nella laguna stessa, (c) i processi erosivi intensificati dalla costruzione dei moli foranei alla bocca di Malamocco, (d) lo sviluppo del polo industriale di Porto Marghera, (e) lo scavo del canale Malamocco-Marghera, che ha incrementato l’energia e l’idrodinamicità dell’area, favorendo l’ulteriore erosione delle strutture morfologiche naturali e artificiali (barene e casse di colmata) adiacenti

Saharan dust inputs to the W Mediterranean Sea: depositional patterns, geochemistry and sedimentological implications.

Data are presented for a number of parameters for aerosols and rainwaters collected at a station on Sardinia. The findings are interpreted with special reference to Saharan dusts, and are compared to other data on these dusts obtained from a variety of sites around the Mediterranean Sea. At the Sardinia site the particle size distribution of the Saharan outbreaks exhibits a bimodal structure, the two modes being between 1 and 2 µm and 20-25 µm. The presence of giant particles strongly affects the deposition velocities of the Saharan aerosols. Source markers for the Saharan dusts are palygorskite, kaolinite, calcite, dolomite and rounded quartz grains. The input of Saharan dust has important effects on the chemistry of the Mediterranean aerosols. These include: (i) increases in the atmospheric concentrations and sea surface fluxes of crust-controlled trace metals (e.g.; Al, Fe); (ii) decreases in the EFcrust values of non-crust-controlled trace metals (e.g.; Cu, Zn and Pb) in the aerosols, and (iii) changes in the solid state speciation of Cu, Zn, and Pb, which decrease their solubilities in sea water. The Saharan dusts also affect the composition of rainwater by raising the pH, following the dissolution of calcium, and by decreasing the solubility of trace metals such as Cu, Zn and Pb. Wet deposition controls the flux of Saharan dust to the Mediterranean Sea, but dry deposition can also be important. The dust transport occurs in the form of "pulses", and the annual dust flux can be controlled by few episodes of Saharan outbreaks; e.g. sometimes a single outbreak can account for 40-80 % of the flux. Saharan dust deposition fluxes range from 2 to 25 g m-2 (average; ~ 10) in the W Mediterranean between 39° and 42° N, between 6 and 46 g m-2 (avg. ~ 20) in the E Mediterranean, and 0.4 to1.0 g m-2 over the Alps on continental Europe. The present day Saharan dust fluxes (~ 1 mg cm-2 yr-1) account for about 10-20% of the recent deep-sea sedimentation in the Western Mediterranean (3-15 mg cm-2 yr-1)

Spatial and Temporal Changes of Tidal Inlet Using Object-Based Image Analysis of Multibeam Echosounder Measurements: A Case from the Lagoon of Venice, Italy

Scientific exploration of seabed substrata has significantly progressed in the last few years. Hydroacoustic methods of seafloor investigation, including multibeam echosounder measurements, allow us to map large areas of the seabed with unprecedented precision. Through time-series of hydroacoustic measurements, it was possible to determine areas with distinct characteristics in the inlets of the Lagoon of Venice, Italy. Their temporal variability was investigated. Monitoring the changes was particularly relevant, considering the presence at the channel inlets of mobile barriers of the Experimental Electromechanical Module (MoSE) project installed to protect the historical city of Venice from flooding. The detection of temporal and spatial changes was performed by comparing seafloor maps created using object-based image analysis and supervised classifiers. The analysis included extraction of 25 multibeam echosounder bathymetry and backscatter features. Their importance was estimated using an objective approach with two feature selection methods. Moreover, the study investigated how the accuracy of classification could be affected by the scale of object-based segmentation. The application of the classification method at the proper scale allowed us to observe habitat changes in the tidal inlet of the Venice Lagoon, showing that the sediment substrates located in the Chioggia inlet were subjected to very dynamic changes. In general, during the study period, the area was enriched in mixed and muddy sediments and was depleted in sandy deposits. This study presents a unique methodological approach to predictive seabed sediment composition mapping and change detection in a very shallow marine environment. A consistent, repeatable, logical site-specific workflow was designed, whose main assumptions could be applied to other seabed mapping case studies in both shallow and deep marine environments, all over the world

Ship-Induced Depression Wakes and Shoreline Erosion

Shoreline retreat as an effect of ship wakes was studied in a navigation channel of the industrial port of Venice, Italy: the Malamocco -Marghera Channel. The investigation revealed unprecedented erosion rates, up to 4 m y , that determined a total loss of about 1.2 million of m of soil in the period 1970 -2015. This interaction between navigation and the channel margins must be considered in order to understand the past evolution of the central Venice Lagoon and for a sustainable management of the port traffic in the future sea -level rise scenario