Renewable hydrogen storage and supply options for large-scale industrial users in Finland

Abstract. The interest in renewable hydrogen has been on the rise in recent years, and with the increase in variable renewable energy (VRE) capacity, hydrogen storage capacity is needed. However, large-scale hydrogen storage applications viable in Finland are yet to be demonstrated, and the topic is rather unexplored. This thesis aimed to present the technology options for large-scale hydrogen storage applications viable in Finland. The technologies were first compared qualitatively after which a model to simulate the operating performance of a lined rock cavern (LRC) as a part of the steelmaking process was created using Python programming language. The aim was to study if the storage can reduce the overall cost of delivered hydrogen. The performance of LRC was assessed by establishing different scenarios and comparing the Levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of the scenarios. The variables of particular interest were the effect of storage size, operational hours of the storage, and electricity price. Additionally, the cost of the transmission pipeline and the benefit of surplus heat sales were included in this thesis. The simulation results show that with the assumptions and price data used in this thesis, integrating storage can decrease LCOH up to 0.64 €/kgH2 compared to a configuration with no storage, but the electricity price volatility had a substantial effect on the economic viability. Increasing the storage capacity led to lower LCOH only when price data with higher price volatility was used. Using price data with less volatility resulted in increased LCOH, up to 0.13 €/kgH2, in most scenarios. Electricity cost was found to constitute the largest part of the LCOH, while CAPEX was found to have a small contribution regardless of the variation of electricity prices or investment cost estimations. Conversions from USD to EUR were conducted using exchange reference rates of April 2022. Future research including a broader set of storage capacities as well as focusing more in detail on the development of electricity prices and contract alternatives is suggested. The simulation and assumptions are not tailored for steelmaking but can be deemed as generalized descriptions for the industry that uses hydrogen as a feedstock in continuous operation.Uusiutuvan vedyn varastointi- ja jakeluteknologiat suuren mittakaavan teollisille toimijoille Suomessa. Tiivistelmä. Kiinnostus uusiutuvaa vetyä kohtaan on ollut kasvussa viime vuosina, ja vaihtelevan uusiutuvan energian (VRE) kapasiteetin kasvun myötä myös vetyvarastokapasiteetin tarve kasvaa. Demonstraatioita Suomen olosuhteisiin sopivista suuren mittakaavan vetyvarastoteknologioista ei vielä ole, ja aihe on toistaiseksi kohtalaisen tuntematon. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli käydä läpi vedyn varastointiteknologioita, jotka ovat toteuttamiskelpoisia suuressa mittakaavassa Suomessa. Teknologioita vertailtiin ensin kvalitatiivisesti, jonka jälkeen kehitettiin dynaaminen malli Python-ohjelmointikielellä kuvaamaan suljetun maanalaisen kalliovaraston (LRC) toimintaa osana teräksenvalmistusprosessia. Työn tavoitteena oli tutkia, pienentääkö varasto vedyntuotannon kokonaiskustannusta. LRC:n toimintakykyä arvioitiin luomalla skenaarioita ja vertailemalla niiden kustannuksia LCOH-menetelmällä. Muuttujista erityisen kiinnostuksen kohteena olivat varaston koko, käyttötunnit sekä sähkön hinta. Lisäksi tässä diplomityössä tutkittiin vedyn siirtoputkiston kustannuksia sekä ylijäämälämmön myyntituottoja. Simulointitulokset osoittivat, että varaston käyttäminen voi pienentää tuotantokustannuksia suurimmillaan 0.64 €/kgH2 verrattuna konfiguraatioon, jossa varastoa ei ole, joskin sähkön hinnan vaihtelevuudella oli merkittävä vaikutus taloudelliseen kannattavuuteen. Varastokoon kasvattaminen johti referenssiskenaariota pienempiin LCOH-arvoihin vain suuremman vaihtelevuuden hintadatan kohdalla. Hintadatan, jossa sähkön hinnanvaihtelu oli vähäisempää, johti useimmissa skenaarioissa suurempiin LCOH-arvoihin, jossa suurin LCOH-nousu oli 0.13 €/kgH2. Merkittävin osuus tuotantokustannuksista muodostui sähkönkulutuksesta, kun taas pääomakustannusten osuuden havaittiin olevan pieni riippumatta sähkön hintatason vaihtelusta tai investointikustannusten herkkyytyksestä. Valuuttamuunnokset Yhdysvaltain dollarista euroon tehtiin käyttäen huhtikuun 2022 muuntokerrointa. Jatkoselvityksen aiheiksi ehdotetaan laajemman varastokapasiteettien joukon tutkimista sekä sähkön hintakehityksen ja erilaisten sähkönhankintasopimusten huomioimista. Tässä diplomityössä kehitetty malli oletuksineen ei ole räätälöity teräksenvalmistusprosessia varten, vaan sitä voidaan pitää yleisenä kuvauksena teollisuudenaloista, jotka käyttävät vetyä syötteenä jatkuvatoimisessa prosessissa

Land-use vs. output of energy technologies in Finland

Abstract. Energy leaves its footprint on land, and the consequences differ in sources. The energy sector is experiencing a transition towards more distributed energy production with larger share of renewable energy sources. This imposes different requirements for energy production and transmission in comparison with centralized production. This thesis aims to provide an overview of Finland’s current situation regarding energy technologies and their land-use in heat and electricity production. Nine different energy production methods are introduced in this thesis. The land is measured in square kilometers and the results are presented in km²/TJ. The land areas of power plant properties were estimated using Karttapaikka service provided by National Land Survey of Finland. Import is considered to have no land-use in Finland. The results indicate that nuclear power, coal and natural gas require the smallest land area per produced TJ. The poorest land-to-energy ratio belongs to peat and hydropower. However, the complete assessment of land requirements throughout the resource production and distribution chain is beyond the scope of this thesis. The nature of this thesis is rather to provide a directional overview of different energy production methods. The full fuel cycles were not covered in this thesis. In addition, the land-use effects outside the borders of Finland were not assessed. However, the results indicate that in general, renewable energy sources tend to require more land area in comparison with non-renewable sources, which is compatible with other studies about the subject.Suomen energiantuotantomuotojen maankäyttö vs. tuotantomäärä. Tiivistelmä. Energiantuotannon maankäytön vaikutukset vaihtelevat energialähteittäin. Energiasektori on siirtymässä keskitetystä tuotannosta kohti hajautettua tuotantoa, ja uusiutuvan energian määrä on lisääntynyt. Tämä asettaa erilaisia vaatimuksia maankäytön suhteen energiantuotannossa sekä siirtämisessä. Tämän kandidaatintyön tarkoitus on tarjota yleiskatsaus Suomen nykyiseen maankäytön tilanteeseen sähkön ja lämmön tuotannossa sekä verrata sitä sähkön ja lämmön tuotantomääriin. Työssä käsitellään yhdeksää erilaista tuotantomenetelmää. Pinta-ala mitataan neliökilometreinä, ja lopputulos ilmoitetaan yksikössä km²/TJ. Esimerkkivoimalaitosten tonttien kokoja on arvioitu Maanmittauslaitoksen Karttapaikka-sovellusta apuna käyttäen. Tuontisähkön maankäytön suuruus on tässä työssä oletettu nollaksi. Laskennan mukaan pienimmän maa-alueen tuotettua terajoulea kohti vaativat ydinvoima, kivihiili ja maakaasu. Turpeella ja vesivoimalla on suurin pinta-alavaatimus. Tässä kandidaatintyössä ei otettu huomioon tarkasteltujen energianlähteiden koko tuotannon, polttoainekierron ja jakeluketjun maankäytön tarpeita, ja tarkastelu rajoitettiin pelkästään Suomen rajojen sisällä tapahtuvaan maankäyttöön. Tuloksista on kuitenkin havaittavissa, että yleisesti ottaen uusiutuvat energialähteet vaativat suuremman maapinta-alan verrattuna uusiutumattomiin lähteisiin, mikä on sopusoinnussa muiden vastaavien tutkimustulosten kanssa

Strategi Optimalisasi Implementasi Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional untuk Keluarga Miskin di Puskesmas Kedamean

Banyak permasalahan muncul pada masa awal Pemerintah mengimplementasikan Program Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN), dimana yang paling merasakan dampaknya adalah Keluarga Miskin. Disisi lain disemua wilayah Jawa Timur tersebar Puskesmas hingga ke pelosok daerah, total ada 595 Unit. Yang diharapkan dapat membantu menyelesaikan masalah diatas. Sehingga kami perlu merumuskan Strategi Optimalisasi Implementasi JKN untuk keluarga miskin di Puskesmas. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian Kualitatif dengan metode Studi Kasus, yang mengambil lokasi di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Kedamean. Informasi dan data dikumpulkan melalui Deep Interview, Foccus Group Discussion (FGD), Observasi dan Dokumentasi. Teknik penentuan Informan dengan Triangulasi, yaitu kombinasi teknik Purposive, Snow Ball dan Aksidensil. Selanjutnya data diolah dengan menggunakan metode analisa SWOT. Berdasarkan hasil analisa SWOT, pada Puskesmas Kedamean menunjukkan berada pada kondisi Paling kuat (Kwadran 1), sehingga strategi yang dapat digunakan adalah strategi Progresif atau strategi SO, dimana dapat memanfaatkan segala kekuatan/potensi untuk meraih peluang yang ada. Dimana Kita dapat memanfaatkan Tenaga Medis, Paramedis, Sarana-Prasarana, Peralatan, Perlengkapan, Pustu, Poskesdes, Posyandu dan Peran aparatur Desa serta kecamatan untuk meningkatkan pelayanan kesehatan bagi Keluarga Miskin dan Penyadang Masalah Kesejahteraan Sosial (PMKS) di wilayah ini

Arthroscopic Coracoclavicular Ligament Reconstruction Using Graft Augmentation and Titanium Implants

Several techniques have been introduced to treat acromioclavicular separation with coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction using graft augmentation. A modified arthroscopic technique for coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction was used based on a previous technique where the supportive device and tendon graft share the clavicular and coracoid drill holes. A notable problem with the previous technique was large protruding suture knots on the washer and clavicle, which could predispose to wound infection. In this modified technique, titanium implants were introduced. The implants hid the suture knot on the clavicle, and less foreign material was needed between the clavicular and coracoid implants.</p

Establishment of infectious HCV virion-producing cells with newly designed full-genome replicon RNA

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicon systems enable in-depth analysis of the life cycle of HCV. However, the previously reported full-genome replicon system is unable to produce authentic virions. On the basis of these results, we constructed newly designed full-genomic replicon RNA, which is composed of the intact 5′-terminal-half RNA extending to the NS2 region flanked by an extra selection marker gene. Huh-7 cells harboring this full-genomic RNA proliferated well under G418 selection and secreted virion-like particles into the supernatant. These particles, which were round and 50 nm in diameter when analyzed by electron microscopy, had a buoyant density of 1.08 g/mL that shifted to 1.19 g/mL after NP-40 treatment; these figures match the putative densities of intact virions and nucleocapsids without envelope. The particles also showed infectivity in a colony-forming assay. This system may offer another option for investigating the life cycle of HCV

Th1 Disabled Function in Response to TLR4 Stimulation of Monocyte-Derived DC from Patients Chronically-Infected by Hepatitis C Virus

Background: Lack of protective antibodies and inefficient cytotoxic responses are characteristics of chronic hepatitis C infection. A defect in dendritic cell (DC) function has thus been suspected, but this remains a controversial issue. Methods and Findings: Here we show that monocyte-derived DC (MoDC) from chronically-infected patients can mature in response to TLR1/2, TLR2/6 or TLR3 ligands. In contrast, when stimulated with the TLR4 ligand LPS, MoDC from patients show a profound defect in inducing IFNc secretion by allogeneic T cells. This defect is not due to defective phenotypic maturation or to the presence of HCV-RNA in DC or monocytes but is correlated to reduced IL-12 secretion by DC. Restoration of DC ability to stimulate IFNc secretion can be obtained by blocking MEK activation in DC, indicating that MEK/ ERK pathway is involved in the Th1 defect of MoDC. Monocytes from HCV patients present increased spontaneous secretion of cytokines and chemokines, especially MIP-1b. Addition of MIP-1b on healthy monocytes during differentiation results in DC that have Th1 defect characteristic of MoDC from HCV patients, suggesting that MIP-1b secretion by HCV monocytes participates in the Th1 defect of DC. Conclusions: Our data indicate that monocytes from HCV patients are activated in vivo. This interferes with their differentiation into DC, leading to deficient TLR4 signaling in these cells that are enable to induce a Th1 response. Thi

Locating giant ground pangolins (Smutsia gigantea) using camera traps on burrows in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon

Published online: 15 Jan 2018Giant ground pangolins (Smutsia gigantea) are poorly known and difficult to study due to their nocturnal and burrowing habits. Here, we test the efficacy of using camera traps on potentially active burrows identified by local Ba'Aka guides to rapidly locate giant ground pangolins in the wild for subsequent observation and tagging for telemetry studies. We deployed nine cameras on potential giant ground pangolin burrows in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon. One camera photographed an adult male giant ground pangolin using a burrow within 2 days of camera deployment. The pangolin used the same burrow several times over a 25-day period and possible scent-marking behavior was recorded

Innate Immune Function in Placenta and Cord Blood of Hepatitis C – Seropositive Mother-Infant Dyads

Vertical transmission accounts for the majority of pediatric cases of hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection. In contrast to the adult population who develop persistent viremia in ∼80% of cases following exposure, the rate of mother-to-child transmission (2–6%) is strikingly low. Protection from vertical transmission likely requires the coordination of multiple components of the immune system. Placenta and decidua provide a direct connection between mother and infant. We hypothesized that innate immune responses would differ across the three compartments (decidua, placenta and cord blood) and that hepatitis C exposure would modify innate immunity in these tissues. The study was comprised of HCV-infected and healthy control mother and infant pairs from whom cord blood, placenta and decidua were collected with isolation of mononuclear cells. Multiparameter flow cytometry was performed to assess the phenotype, intracellular cytokine production and cytotoxicity of the cells. In keeping with a model where the maternal-fetal interface provides antiviral protection, we found a gradient in proportional frequencies of NKT and γδ-T cells being higher in placenta than cord blood. Cytotoxicity of NK and NKT cells was enhanced in placenta and placental NKT cytotoxicity was further increased by HCV infection. HCV exposure had multiple effects on innate cells including a decrease in activation markers (CD69, TRAIL and NKp44) on NK cells and a decrease in plasmacytoid dendritic cells in both placenta and cord blood of exposed infants. In summary, the placenta represents an active innate immunological organ that provides antiviral protection against HCV transmission in the majority of cases; the increased incidence in preterm labor previously described in HCV-seropositive mothers may be related to enhanced cytotoxicity of NKT cells

Dendritic Cell Subtypes from Lymph Nodes and Blood Show Contrasted Gene Expression Programs upon Bluetongue Virus Infection

Chantier qualité GAHuman and animal hemorrhagic viruses initially target dendritic cells (DCs). It has been proposed, but not documented, that both plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and conventional DCs (cDCs) may participate in the cytokine storm encountered in these infections. In order to evaluate the contribution of DCs in hemorrhagic virus pathogenesis, we performed a genome-wide expression analysis during infection by Bluetongue virus (BTV), a double-stranded RNA virus that induces hemorrhagic fever in sheep and initially infects cDCs. Both pDCs and cDCs accumulated in regional lymph nodes and spleen during BTV infection. The gene response profiles were performed at the onset of the disease and markedly differed with the DC subtypes and their lymphoid organ location. An integrative knowledge-based analysis revealed that blood pDCs displayed a gene signature related to activation of systemic inflammation and permeability of vasculature. In contrast, the gene profile of pDCs and cDCs in lymph nodes was oriented to inhibition of inflammation, whereas spleen cDCs did not show a clear functional orientation. These analyses indicate that tissue location and DC subtype affect the functional gene expression program induced by BTV and suggest the involvement of blood pDCs in the inflammation and plasma leakage/hemorrhage during BTV infection in the real natural host of the virus. These findings open the avenue to target DCs for therapeutic interventions in viral hemorrhagic diseases

Selection of Suitable Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analyses in Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are a group of photosynthetic prokaryotes that have a diverse morphology, minimal nutritional requirements and metabolic plasticity that has made them attractive organisms to use in biotechnological applications. The use of these organisms as cell factories requires the knowledge of their physiology and metabolism at a systems level. For the quantification of gene transcripts real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the standard technique. However, to obtain reliable RT-qPCR results the use and validation of reference genes is mandatory. Towards this goal we have selected and analyzed twelve candidate reference genes from three morphologically distinct cyanobacteria grown under routinely used laboratory conditions. The six genes exhibiting less variation in each organism were evaluated in terms of their expression stability using geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. In addition, the minimum number of reference genes required for normalization was determined. Based on the three algorithms, we provide a list of genes for cyanobacterial RT-qPCR data normalization. To our knowledge, this is the first work on the validation of reference genes for cyanobacteria constituting a valuable starting point for future works