Local energy markets - an IT-architecture design

In recent years, local energy markets have become an important concept in more decentralized energy systems. Implementations in pilot projects provide first insights into different hypotheses and approaches. From a technical perspective, the requirements for the IT infrastructure of a local energy market are diverse, and a holistic view of its architecture is therefore necessary. This article presents an IT-architecture, which enables all basic local energy market functionalities, processes and modules based on the available literature. The proposed IT-architecture can serve as a blueprint for future local market projects as it covers the basic processes and is at the same time extendable. Furthermore, we give a detailed description of a real-world implementation of a local energy market using the described IT-architecture and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the utilized technologies along with this case study

4-[4-(Dimethyl­amino)benzyl­idene]-2,6-dimethyl­cyclo­hexa-2,5-dienone

The title compound, C17H19NO, crystallized with two mol­ecules per asymmetric unit. C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds lead to infinite chains along [100]. According to graph-set theory, the descriptor C 1 1(13)C 1 1(13) can be assigned

Industrial DevOps

The visions and ideas of Industry 4.0 require a profound interconnection of machines, plants, and IT systems in industrial production environments. This significantly increases the importance of software, which is coincidentally one of the main obstacles to the introduction of Industry 4.0. Lack of experience and knowledge, high investment and maintenance costs, as well as uncertainty about future developments cause many small and medium-sized enterprises hesitating to adopt Industry 4.0 solutions. We propose Industrial DevOps as an approach to introduce methods and culture of DevOps into industrial production environments. The fundamental concept of this approach is a continuous process of operation, observation, and development of the entire production environment. This way, all stakeholders, systems, and data can thus be integrated via incremental steps and adjustments can be made quickly. Furthermore, we present the Titan software platform accompanied by a role model for integrating production environments with Industrial DevOps. In two initial industrial application scenarios, we address the challenges of energy management and predictive maintenance with the methods, organizational structures, and tools of Industrial DevOps.Comment: 10 page

Design of a Nanometric AlTi Additive for MgB2-Based Reactive Hydride Composites with Superior Kinetic Properties

Solid-state hydride compounds are a promising option for efficient and safe hydrogen-storage systems. Lithium reactive hydride composite system 2LiBH4 + MgH2/2LiH + MgB2 (Li-RHC) has been widely investigated owing to its high theoretical hydrogen-storage capacity and low calculated reaction enthalpy (11.5 wt % H2 and 45.9 kJ/mol H2). In this paper, a thorough investigation into the effect of the formation of nano-TiAl alloys on the hydrogen-storage properties of Li-RHC is presented. The additive 3TiCl3·AlCl3 is used as the nanoparticle precursor. For the investigated temperatures and hydrogen pressures, the addition of ∼5 wt % 3TiCl3·AlCl3 leads to hydrogenation/dehydrogenation times of only 30 min and a reversible hydrogen-storage capacity of 9.5 wt %. The material containing 3TiCl3·AlCl3 possesses superior hydrogen-storage properties in terms of rates and a stable hydrogen capacity during several hydrogenation/dehydrogenation cycles. These enhancements are attributed to an in situ nanostructure and a hexagonal AlTi3 phase observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. This phase acts in a 2-fold manner, first promoting the nucleation of MgB2 upon dehydrogenation and second suppressing the formation of Li2B12H12 upon hydrogenation/dehydrogenation cycling.Fil: Le, Thi-Thu. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; AlemaniaFil: Pistidda, Claudio. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; AlemaniaFil: Puszkiel, Julián Atilio. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; Alemania. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Castro Riglos, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; Alemania. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Karimi, Fahim. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; AlemaniaFil: Skibsted, Jørgen. University Aarhus; DinamarcaFil: Gharibdoust, Seyedhosein Payandeh. University Aarhus; DinamarcaFil: Richter, Bo. University Aarhus; DinamarcaFil: Emmler, Thomas. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; AlemaniaFil: Milanese, Chiara. Università di Pavia; ItaliaFil: Santoru, Antonio. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; AlemaniaFil: Hoell, Armin. Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie; AlemaniaFil: Krumrey, Michael. Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt; AlemaniaFil: Gericke, Eike. Universität zu Berlin; AlemaniaFil: Akiba, Etsuo. Kyushu University; JapónFil: Jensen, Torben R.. University Aarhus; DinamarcaFil: Klassen, Thomas. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; Alemania. Helmut Schmidt University; AlemaniaFil: Dornheim, Martin. Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht; Alemani

An analysis of fast photochemistry over high northern latitudes during spring and summer using in-situ observations from ARCTAS and TOPSE

Observations of chemical constituents and meteorological quantities obtained during the two Arctic phases of the airborne campaign ARCTAS (Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites) are analyzed using an observationally constrained steady state box model. Measurements of OH and HO2 from the Penn State ATHOS instrument are compared to model predictions. Forty percent of OH measurements below 2 km are at the limit of detection during the spring phase (ARCTAS-A). While the median observed-to-calculated ratio is near one, both the scatter of observations and the model uncertainty for OH are at the magnitude of ambient values. During the summer phase (ARCTAS-B), model predictions of OH are biased low relative to observations and demonstrate a high sensitivity to the level of uncertainty in NO observations. Predictions of HO2 using observed CH2O and H2O2 as model constraints are up to a factor of two larger than observed. A temperature-dependent terminal loss rate of HO2 to aerosol recently proposed in the literature is shown to be insufficient to reconcile these differences. A comparison of ARCTAS-A to the high latitude springtime portion of the 2000 TOPSE campaign (Tropospheric Ozone Production about the Spring Equinox) shows similar meteorological and chemical environments with the exception of peroxides; observations of H2O2 during ARCTAS-A were 2.5 to 3 times larger than those during TOPSE. The cause of this difference in peroxides remains unresolved and has important implications for the Arctic HOx budget. Unconstrained model predictions for both phases indicate photochemistry alone is unable to simultaneously sustain observed levels of CH2O and H2O2; however when the model is constrained with observed CH2O, H2O2 predictions from a range of rainout parameterizations bracket its observations. A mechanism suitable to explain observed concentrations of CH2O is uncertain. Free tropospheric observations of acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) are 2–3 times larger than its predictions, though constraint of the model to those observations is sufficient to account for less than half of the deficit in predicted CH2O. The box model calculates gross O3 formation during spring to maximize from 1–4 km at 0.8 ppbv d−1, in agreement with estimates from TOPSE, and a gross production of 2–4 ppbv d−1 in the boundary layer and upper troposphere during summer. Use of the lower observed levels of HO2 in place of model predictions decreases the gross production by 25–50%. Net O3 production is near zero throughout the ARCTAS-A troposphere, and is 1–2 ppbv in the boundary layer and upper altitudes during ARCTAS-B

Toxicity of Tungsten Carbide and Cobalt-Doped Tungsten Carbide Nanoparticles in Mammalian Cells in Vitro

BACKGROUND: Tungsten carbide nanoparticles are being explored for their use in the manufacture of hard metals. To develop nanoparticles for broad applications, potential risks to human health and the environment should be evaluated and taken into consideration. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the toxicity of well-characterized tungsten carbide (WC) and cobalt-doped tungsten carbide (WC-Co) nanoparticle suspensions in an array of mammalian cells. METHODS: We examined acute toxicity of WC and of WC-Co (10% weight content Co) nanoparticles in different human cell lines (lung, skin, and colon) as well as in rat neuronal and glial cells (i.e., primary neuronal and astroglial cultures and the oligodendrocyte precursor cell line OLN-93). Furthermore, using electron microscopy, we assessed whether natioparticles can be taken up by living cells. We chose these in vitro systems in order to evaluate for potential toxicity of the nanoparticles in different mammalian organs (i.e., lung, skin, intestine, and brain). RESULTS: Chemical-physical characterization confirmed that WC as well as WC-Co natioparticles with a mean particle size of 145 nm form stable suspensions in serum-containing cell culture media. WC nanoparticles were not acutely toxic to the studied cell lines. However, cytotoxicity became apparent when particles were doped with Co. The most sensitive were astrocytes and colon epithelial cells. Cytotoxicity of WC-Co nanoparticles was higher than expected based on the ionic Co content of the particles. Analysis by electron microscopy demonstrated presence of WC nanoparticles within mammalian cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that doping of WC nanoparticles with Co markedly increases their cytotoxic effect and that the presence of WC-Co in particulate form is essential to elicit this combinatorial effect

“A very orderly retreat”: Democratic transition in East Germany, 1989-90

East Germany's 1989-90 democratisation is among the best known of East European transitions, but does not lend itself to comparative analysis, due to the singular way in which political reform and democratic consolidation were subsumed by Germany's unification process. Yet aspects of East Germany's democratisation have proved amenable to comparative approaches. This article reviews the comparative literature that refers to East Germany, and finds a schism between those who designate East Germany's transition “regime collapse” and others who contend that it exemplifies “transition through extrication”. It inquires into the merits of each position and finds in favour of the latter. Drawing on primary and secondary literature, as well as archival and interview sources, it portrays a communist elite that was, to a large extent, prepared to adapt to changing circumstances and capable of learning from “reference states” such as Poland. Although East Germany was the Soviet state in which the positions of existing elites were most threatened by democratic transition, here too a surprising number succeeded in maintaining their position while filing across the bridge to market society. A concluding section outlines the alchemy through which their bureaucratic power was transmuted into property and influence in the “new Germany”