Comparative LCA technology improvement opportunities for a 1.5 MW wind turbine in the context of an offshore wind farm

Wind energy is playing an increasingly important role in the development of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies leading to projections in reliability and performance of future wind turbine designs. This paper presents life cycle assessment (LCA) results of design variations for a 1.5 MW wind turbine due to the potential for advances in technology to improve the performance of a 1.5 MW wind turbine. Five LCAs have been conducted for design variants of a 1.5 MW wind turbine. The objective is to evaluate potential environmental impacts per kilowatt hour of electricity generated for a 114 MW onshore wind farm. Results for the baseline turbine show that higher contributions to impacts were obtained in the categories Ozone Depletion Potential, Marine Aquatic Eco-toxicity Potential, Human Toxicity Potential and Terrestrial Eco-toxicity Potential compared to Technology Improvement Opportunities (TIOs) 1 to 4. Compared to the baseline turbine, TIO 1 showed increased impact contributions to Abiotic Depletion Potential, Acidification Potential, Eutrophication Potential, Global Warming Potential and Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential, and TIO 2 showed an increase in contributions to Abiotic Depletion Potential, Acidification Potential and Global Warming Potential. Additionally, lower contributions to all the environmental categories were observed for TIO 3 while increased contributions towards Abiotic Depletion Potential and Global Warming Potential were noted for TIO 4. A comparative LCA study of wind turbine design variations for a particular power rating has not been explored in the literature. This study presents new insight into the environmental implications related with projected wind turbine design advancements

Parameters in laser beam diagnostics

The diagnostic of the distribution of the radiation of CO sub 2 high power lasers has proved to be an efficient measurement device for the development of beam sources and their application. They help to achieve an exact adjustment of lasers or detect changes within the laser beam which could be the reason for faulty processing. As a central element of control systems, industrial application in production may only be effected if the considerable number of informations which result from the measurements is reduced to a few characteristic parameters. By means of these, criteria for control may be determined. This enables and facilitates a description of the correlation laser beam:processing device or process. Suggestions for the definition and coordination

The development and validation of a health-related quality of life questionnaire for pre-school children with a chronic heart disease

PURPOSE: Heart diseases are often associated with residual injuries, persisting functional restrictions, and long-term sequelae for psychosocial development. Currently, there are no disease-specific instruments to assess the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) of pre-school children. The aims of this study were to develop a parent proxy instrument to measure the HrQoL of children aged 3-7 years with a heart disease and to confirm its validity and reliability. METHODS: Items from the Preschool Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory (P-PCQLI) were generated through focus groups of caregivers. In a pilot study, comprehensibility and feasibility were tested. Five subdimensions were defined theoretically. Psychometric properties were analysed within a multicentre study with 167 parental caregivers. RESULTS: The final 52-item instrument contains a total score covering five moderately inter-correlated dimensions. The total score of the questionnaire showed a very high internal consistency (Cronbachs' α = 0.95). Test-retest correlation was at r tt = 0.96. External validity was indicated by higher correlations (r = 0.24-0.68) with a generic paediatric quality of life questionnaire (KINDL) compared to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (r = 0.17 to 0.59). Low P-PCQLI total scores were significantly associated with inpatient as opposed to outpatient treatment (t = 6.04, p < .001), with at least moderate disease severity ((t = 5.05, p < .001) NYHA classification) and with poorer prognosis (t = 5.53, p < .001) as estimated by the physician. CONCLUSIONS: The P-PCQLI is reliable and valid for pre-school children with a heart disease. It could be used as a screening instrument in routine care, and for evaluation of HrQoL outcomes in clinical trials and intervention research