Sustainable energy from paper industry wastes

Secondary fibre paper mills are significant users of both heat and electricity which is mainly derived from the combustion of fossil fuels. The cost of producing this energy is increasing year upon year. These mills are also significant producers of fibrous sludge and reject waste material which can contain high amounts of useful energy. Currently the majority of these waste fractions are disposed of by landfill, land-spread or incineration using natural gas. These disposal methods not only present environmental problems but are also very costly. The focus of this work was to utilise the waste fractions produced at secondary fibre paper mills for the on-site production of combined heat and power (CHP) using advanced thermal conversion methods (gasification and pyrolysis), well suited to relatively small scales of throughput. The heat and power can either be used on-site or exported. The first stage of the work was the development of methods to condition selected paper industry wastes to enable thermal conversion. This stage required detailed characterisation of the waste streams in terms of proximate and ultimate analysis and heat content. Suitable methods to dry and condition the wastes in preparation for thermal conversion were also explored. Through trials at pilot scale with both fixed bed downdraft gasification and intermediate pyrolysis systems, the energy recovered from selected wastes and waste blends in the form of product gas and pyrolysis products was quantified. The optimal process routes were selected based on the experimental results, and implementation studies were carried out at the selected candidate mills. The studies consider the pre-processing of the wastes, thermal conversion, and full integration of the energy products. The final stage of work was an economic analysis to quantify economic gain, return on investment and environmental benefits from the proposed processes

Efficient organization of nodes in wireless sensor networks (clustering location-based LEACH)

The rapid development of connected devices and wireless communication has enabled several researchers to study wireless sensor networks and propose methods and algorithms to improve their performance. Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are composed of several sensor nodes deployed to collect and transfer data to base station (BS). Sensor node is considered as the main element in this field, characterized by minimal capacities of storage, energy, and computing. In consequence of the important impact of the energy on network lifetime, several researches are interested to propose different mechanisms to minimize energy consumption. In this work, we propose a new enhancement of low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) protocol, named clustering location-based LEACH (CLOC-LEACH), which represents a continuity of our previous published work location-based LEACH (LOC-LEACH). The proposed protocol organizes sensor nodes into four regions, using clustering mechanism. In addition, an efficient concept is adopted to choose cluster head. CLOC-LEACH considers the energy as the principal metric to choose cluster heads and uses a gateway node to ensure the inter-cluster communication. The simulation with MATLAB shows that our contribution offers better performance than LEACH and LOC-LEACH, in terms of stability, energy consumption and network lifetime

Applications of Underbalanced Fishbone Drilling for Improved Recovery and Reduced Carbon Footprint in Unconventional Plays

Fishbone Drilling (FbD) consists of drilling several micro-holes in different directions from the main vertical or deviated wellbore. Similar to multilateral micro-hole drilling, FbD may be used to enhance hydrocarbon production in naturally fractured formations or in refracturing operations by interconnecting the existing natural fractures. When combined with underbalanced drilling using a coiled tubing rig, FbD enhances the production further by easing the natural flow of the hydrocarbon from the reservoir to the wellbore. The design aspects of the Fishbones include determining the number, length, distance between the branches, and the angle of sidetracking of the branches from the main borehole. In addition, the design of efficient drill string components to suit the FbD conditions are another important design aspect in FbD technology development. Examples of this include a high-performance small, diameter downhole motor and the use of High Voltage Pulsed Discharge (HVPD) plasma shock waves at different pulse frequencies and wave pressures to impose shear forces on the formation to break it more easily. This paper will present a comprehensive review of the FbD technology, including some of its current applications and design aspects. The possibility of using FbD in conjunction with hydraulic fracturing to boost production by creating a network of connected fractures will be discussed, and some of its technical and economic benefits and challenges will be compared

Les rapports entre les unités psychologiques et les unités linguistiques

L’inversion est, pour la première fois, suggérée comme un procédé expérimental possible en psycholinguistique dans le volume Psycholinguistiques. A survey of theory and research problems, édité en 1953 par Ch. Osgood et Th. Sebeok, c’est-à-dire dès la naissance officielle de ce domaine interdisciplinaire. Dans le chapitre consacré aux « unités psycholinguistiques » les auteurs préconisent deux possibilités pour l’étude des rapports entre les unités psychologiques et les unités linguistiques : le langage de l’enfant et «la parole inverse» (revearsed speech). L’hypothèse émise considère, en dernière analyse, qu’il est possible de « déterminer les unités psycholinguistiques par l’analyse des points où les sujets font les erreurs”, c’est-à-dire là où l’inversion ne coïncide pas à l’inversion réelle [...] » . Par la suite, ce que les auteurs présentent comme illustration concrète, ne sont pas les résultats d’une, recherche expérimentale faite à partir de l’hypothèse mentionnée, mais des présomptions concernant la manière probable de réagir de la part d’un locuteur natif de l’anglais

Heptadentate chelates for 89Zr-radiolabelling of monoclonal antibodies

Herein, we report the synthesis of three new bifunctional heptadentate metal ion binding chelates derived from desferrioxamine B (DFO) linked to a tripeptide unit that comprises of a glutamic acid and two glycine residues. The three DFO derivatives were also functionalised with a photoactivatable aryl azide unit for light-triggered labelling of proteins. The chelates were obtained in 3 synthetic steps in good overall yields by using solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were used to estimate thermodynamic formation constants (log β) of the corresponding Zr4+ complexes. Quantitative zirconium-89 radiolabelling (>95%) was obtained in <5 min at room temperature, and the stability of the radioconjugates toward different competitors (human serum, EDTA and Fe3+) was assessed in vitro. One-pot 89Zr-photoradiosynthesis produced [89Zr]Zr-2-onartuzumab directly from the formulated, clinical-grade sample MetMAb™, without pre-purifying the monoclonal antibody (mAb) component, with an isolated decay-corrected radiochemical yield of 36.4 ± 2.4%. PET imaging and biodistribution studies were performed in female athymic nude mice bearing subcutaneous xenografts derived from the MKN-45 human gastric cancer cell line to assess the pharmacokinetic profile and tumour binding of [89Zr]Zr-2-onartuzumab. Specific tumour uptake of [89Zr]Zr-2-onartuzumab was confirmed by using competitive inhibition (blocking) studies and bone uptake was significantly reduced compared to the parent DFO analogue

Analyse et reconnaissance de signaux vibratoires : contribution au traitement et à l'analyse de signaux cardiaques pour la télémédecine

The heart is a muscle. Its mechanical operation is like a pump charged for distributing and retrieving the blood in the lungs and cardiovascular system. Its electrical operation is regulated by the sinus node, a pacemaker or electric regulator responsible for triggering the natural heart beats that punctuate the functioning of the body.Doctors monitor the electromechanical functioning of the heart by recording an electrical signal called an electrocardiogram (ECG) or an audible signal : the phonocardiogram (PCG). The analysis and processing of these two signals are essential for diagnosis, to help detect anomalies and cardiac pathologies.The objective of this thesis is to develop signal processing tools on ECG and PCG to assist cardiologist in his analysis of these signals. The basic idea is to develop algorithms of low complexity and having inexpensive computing time. The primary interest is to ensure their easy implementation in a mobile heart monitoring system for use by the doctor or the patient. The second advantage lies in the possibility of automatic real-time analysis of signals with the mobile device, allowing control of the transmission of these signals to a removal of doubt.Numerous studies have led to significant advances in the analysis of ECG signals and the automatic recognition of cardiac conditions. Databases of real or synthetic signals annotated also assess the performance of new methods. PCG signals are much less studied, difficult to analyze and to interpret. The main methods (Fourier, wavelet and Wigner Ville) were tested : they do not allow automatic recognition of signatures, and an accurate understanding of their contents.Wavelet Transform (WT) on cardiac signals showed its effectiveness to filter and locate useful information, but it involves an external processing function (mother wavelet) whose the choice depends on the prior knowledge on the signal to be processed. This is not always suitable for cardiac signals. Moreover, the wavelet transform generally induces inaccuracies in the location due to the external function and optionally due to the sub- sampling of the signatures.The non-stationary nature of the ECG and PCG and their sensitivity to noise makes it difficult to separate an informative transition of a transition due to measurement noise. The choice of treatment tool should allow denoising and analysis of these signals without alteration or the processing tool delocalization of the singularities.In response to our objectives and considering these problems, we propose to rely primarily on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT) to develop solutions. The EMD is a non linear approach decomposing the signal in intrinsic signal (IMF), oscillations of the type FM-AM, giving a time/scale signal representation. Associated with the Hilbert transform (TH), the THH determines the instantaneous amplitude (IA) and instantaneous frequency (IF) of each mode, leading to a time/frequency representation of the ECG and PCG.Without involving an external function, EMD approach can restore (noise reduction), analyze and reconstruct the signal without relocation of its singularities. This approach allows to locate R peaks of the ECG, heart rate and study the cardiac frequency variability (CFV), locate and analyze the sound components B1 and B2 of the PCG.Among the trials and developments that we made, we present in particular a new method (EDA : empirical denoising approach) inspired by the EMD approach for denoising cardiac signals. We also set out the implementation of two approaches for locating ECG signature (QRS complex, T and P waves). The first is based on the detection of local maxima : in using Modulus Maxima and Lipschitz exponent followed by a classifier. The second uses NFLS, wich an nonlinear approach for the detection and location of unique transitions in the discrete domain.Le coeur est un muscle. Son fonctionnement mécanique est celui d'une pompe chargée de distribuer et de récupérer le sang dans les poumons et dans le système cardiovasculaire. Son fonctionnement électrique est régulé par le son noeud sinusal, un stimulateur ou régulateur électrique chargé de déclencher les battements naturels du coeur qui rythment le fonctionnement du corps. Les médecins surveillent ce fonctionnement électromécanique du coeur en enregistrant un signal électrique appelé électrocardiogramme (ECG) ou un signal sonore : le phono-cardiogramme (PCG). L'analyse et le traitement de ces deux signaux sont fondamentaux pour établir un diagnostic et aider à déceler des anomalies et des pathologies cardiaques. L’objectif de cette thèse est de développer des techniques de traitement des signaux ECG et notamment PCG afin d’aider le médecin dans son analyse de ces signaux. L’idée de fond est de mettre en point des algorithmes relativement simples et peu coûteux en temps de calcul. Le premier intérêt serait de garantir leur implantation aisée dans un système mobile de surveillance cardiaque à l’usage du médecin, voire du patient. Le deuxième intérêt réside dans la possibilité d’une analyse automatique en temps réel des signaux avec le dispositif mobile, autorisant le choix de la transmission de ces signaux pour une levée de doute. De nombreux travaux ont mené à des avancées significatives dans l’analyse des signaux ECG et la reconnaissance automatiques des pathologies cardiaques. Des bases de données de signaux réels ou synthétiques annotées permettent également d’évaluer les performances de toute nouvelle méthode. Quant aux signaux PCG, ils sont nettement moins étudiés, difficiles à analyser et à interpréter. Même si les grandes familles de méthodes (Fourier, Wigner Ville et ondelettes) ont été testées, elles n’autorisent pas une reconnaissance automatique des signatures, d’en avoir une analyse et une compréhension assez fines.La Transformée en Ondelettes (TO) sur les signaux cardiaques a montré son efficacité pour filtrer et localiser les informations utiles mais elle fait intervenir une fonction externe de traitement (ondelette mère) dont le choix dépend de la connaissance au préalable du signal à traiter. Ce n'est pas toujours adapté aux signaux cardiaques. De plus, la Transformée en ondelettes induit généralement une imprécision dans la localisation due à la fonction externe et éventuellement au sous-échantillonnage des signatures. La nature non stationnaire de l'ECG et du PCG et leur sensibilité aux bruits rendent difficile la séparation d’une transition informative d'une transition due aux bruits de mesure. Le choix de l'outil de traitement doit permettre un débruitage et une analyse de ces signaux sans délocalisation des singularités ni altération de leurs caractéristiques. En réponse à nos objectifs et considérant ces différents problèmes, nous proposons de nous appuyer principalement sur la décomposition modale empirique (EMD) ou transformée de Hilbert Huang (THH) pour développer des solutions. L’EMD est une approche non linéaire capable de décomposer le signal étudié en fonctions modales intrinsèques (IMF), oscillations du type FM-AM, donnant ainsi une représentation temps/échelle du signal. Associée à la transformée de Hilbert (TH), la THH permet de déterminer les amplitudes instantanées (AI) et les fréquences instantanées (FI) de chaque mode, menant ainsi à une représentation temps/fréquence des signaux.Sans faire intervenir une fonction externe, on peut ainsi restaurer (réduction de bruit), analyser et reconstruire le signal sans délocalisation de ses singularités. Cette approche permet de localiser les pics R de l'ECG, déterminer le rythme cardiaque et étudier la variabilité fréquentielle cardiaque (VFC), localiser et analyser les composantes des bruits B1 et B2 du PCG

Integrated Model for Management of Irrigation Water at the Level of ‘Ait ben yacoub’ Watershed in Morocco

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchive

Fixed bed downdraft gasification of paper industry wastes

The two main wastes generated from secondary fibre paper mills are rejects (composed mainly of plastics and fibres) and de-inking sludge, both of which are evolved from the pulping process during paper manufacture. The current practice for the disposal of these wastes is either by land-spreading or land-filling. This work explores the gasification of blends of pre-conditioned rejects and de-inking sludge pellets with mixed wood chips in an Imbert type fixed bed downdraft gasifier with a maximum feeding capacity of 10kg/h. The producer gases evolved would generate combined heat and power (CHP) in an internal combustion engine. The results show that as much as 80wt.% of a brown paper mill's rejects (consisting of 20wt.% mixed plastics and 80wt.% paper fibres) could be successfully gasified in a blend with 20wt.% mixed wood chips. The producer gas composition was 16.24% H, 23.34% CO, 12.71% CO 5.21% CH and 42.49% N (v/v%) with a higher heating value of 7.3MJ/Nm. After the removal of tar and water condensate the producer gas was of sufficient calorific value and flow rate to power a 10kWe gas engine. Some blends using rejects from other mill types were not successful, and the limiting factor was usually the agglomeration of plastics present within the fuel

The role of thermo-catalytic reforming for energy recovery from food and drink supply chain wastes

Disposal of food and drink wastes, including packaging wastes, has a significant cost and environmental impact. All carbon containing wastes have an energy potential and the food industry should focus on recovering that energy to offset their reliance on fossil-fuel derived energy sources. This paper focuses on the novel use of intermediate pyrolysis for decarbonizing the food chain, through the treatment of food and packaging waste, to recover energy. The TCR is a versatile technology which overcomes many of the traditional problems associated with fast pyrolysis and can thermo-chemically convert a range of different feedstocks, including inaccessible lignin and some inorganic, recalcitrant materials. The feedstocks are converted into new fuel sources; char, bio-oil (thermally stable) and permanent gases, for further electrical and heat generation. Ultimately with the use of the TCR technology, the food production industry could look to using decentralized power generation located on-site of large food processing facilities to optimize their energy efficiencies