Service Revenue Evaluation Methodologies to Maximize the Benefits of Energy Storage

The objective of this research is to develop novel methodologies and tools for service revenue evaluation of electrical energy storage systems. Energy storage systems can provide a wide range of services and benefits to the entire value chain of the electricity industry and, therefore, are becoming a favorable technology among stakeholders. The U.S. Government and various states have set initiatives and mandated energy storage deployment as part of their grid modernization roadmap. The key to an increased deployment of energy storage projects is their economic viability. Because of the significant potential value of energy storage as well as the complexity of the decision-making problem, sophisticated service evaluation methodologies and service optimization tools are highly needed. The maximum potential value of energy storage cannot be captured with the evaluation methodologies that have been developed for conventional generators or other distributed energy resources. Previous research studies mostly operational strategies for energy storage coupled with renewable energy sources and the benefits and business models of privately-owned energy storage systems are not well understood. Most of the existing literature focuses on evaluating energy storage systems providing a single service while multiservice operation and evaluation is often not considered. The few available methods for multiservice evaluation study a limited number of services and cannot be readily implemented into a computational tool due to complexity and scalability issues. Accordingly, this research proposes novel service evaluation methodologies with two main objectives: a. Discover the maximum value of energy storage systems for single and multiservice applications, b. Provide flexibility, scalability and tractability of implementation. In order to meet these objectives, various methodologies based on statistical analysis, dynamic control, mixed integer linear programming, convex optimization and decomposition have been proposed. The challenges, complexities, and the benefits of modeling energy services using a scalable approach are analyzed, solutions are proposed and simulated with realistic data in three main chapters of this research: a) energy storage in wholesale energy markets, b) generic multiservice revenue analysis of energy storage, and c) temporal complexities of energy storage optimization models: value and decomposition. Simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed approaches, and significant added values to the economic viability of energy storage projects using the proposed methodologies. Energy storage decision makers including public utility commissioners, transmission/distribution system operators, aggregators, private energy storage owners/investors, and end-use customers (residential and commercial loads) can benefit from the proposed methodologies and simulation results. A software tool has been developed for multiservice benefit cost analysis of energy storage projects. It is hoped that with the significant unlocked value of energy storage systems using the proposed tools and methodologies, more of these technologies be deployed in the future grids to help communities with their sustainability and environmental goals.Ph.D

Perforated Gastric Diverticulum in a Preterm Newborn: A Case Report

Gastric diverticulum in newborn infants is the rarest (0.04%) of gastrointestinal diverticula. Most of them especially in this age group are asymptomatic or cannot be diagnosed based on examinations and symptoms. However, if it becomes symptomatic, the symptoms can range from vague abdominal pain to bleeding, perforation or torsion. The present case report discusses a preterm newborn with a perforated gastric diverticulum. &nbsp

Post Laparoscopic Pain Control Using Local Anesthesia through Laparoscopic Port Sites

Background: Severe abdominal pain is not common after laparoscopic surgeries, but acute or chronic pain after operation is considerable in some patients. Post-operative Pain control after laparoscopic surgeries, is conventionally achieved using analgesics such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and narcotics, but their administration has a lot of side effects. This study compares the efficacy and side effects of local anesthetic drugs versus conventional analgesics in post-operative pain control.Materials and Methods: This prospective investigation was conducted into two groups of patients (n=93). Group 1, as control group, was given conventional analgesics such as narcotics and NSAIDs. In investigational group, at the end of laparoscopic surgery, prior to port withdrawal, a local anesthetic mixture, a short acting (Lidocaine 2%) plus a long acting (Bupivacaine 0.5%) is instilled through the port lumen between the abdominal wall layers. The efficacy of both types of medications was compared to their efficacy and side effects.Results: 85% of the control group, received 5 to 20 ml Morphine for pain control while the others were controlled with trans-rectal NSAIDs. In the treatment group, the pain of 65% of the patients was controlled only by local anesthetic drugs, 30% required NSAIDs and the other 5% required narcotics administration for pain control.Conclusion: The administration of local anesthetic drugs after laparoscopic surgery is an effective method for pain control with a low complications rate and side effects of narcotics

Assessment of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Scenarios for the Southeast: Benefits, Costs and Implications

This paper was produced as a result of a Georgia Tech Energy, Policy, and Innovation Center seed funding project.The objective of this project is to assess the economic benefits and system impacts for grid-scale energy storage in the Southeast region for informed investment decision-making and policy analysis. Energy storage is a dynamic field exhibiting considerable near term growth. Energy storage systems (ESS) can provide a wide range of services and benefits to the sector’s entire value chain and, are therefore becoming an attractive technology among stakeholders. The present study can prove to be of service to utilities, policy- makers, researchers and other stakeholders. Several novel optimization methodologies have been developed that can be used to evaluate the relative economic merits of ESS under a range of scenarios, input conditions, and performance parameters. The methods and approaches can be extended to include additional parameters, such as CO2 costs, CO2 emission, and welfare effects. Finally, the project provides detailed insights into the comparative economic benefits of major ESS use cases from the perspective of residential customers, large commercial customers, and utilities. The results suggest there are significant opportunities and net economic benefits from ESS systems, whether owned and operated by large customers or utilities, or jointly-operated by both. Taken together the methodologies and findings can contribute to informed investment decision-making and policy analysis in the Southeast region, and beyond.Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute Seed Gran

Meta-analysis and systematic review of skin graft donor-site dressings with future guidelines.

Background: Many types of split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor-site dressings are available with little consensus from the literature on the optimal dressing type. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the most recent outcomes regarding moist and nonmoist dressings for STSG donor sites. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases to search for comparative studies evaluating different STSG donor-site dressings in adult subjects published between 2008 and 2017. The quality of randomized controlled trials was assessed using the Jadad scale. Data were collected on donor-site pain, rate of epithelialization, infection rate, cosmetic appearance, and cost. Meta-analysis was performed for reported pain scores. Results: A total of 41 articles were included comparing 44 dressings. Selected studies included analysis of donor-site pain (36 of 41 articles), rate of epithelialization (38 of 41), infection rate (25 of 41), cosmetic appearance (20 of 41), and cost (10 of 41). Meta-analysis revealed moist dressings result in lower pain (pooled effect size = 1.44). A majority of articles (73%) reported better reepithelialization rates with moist dressings. Conclusion: The literature on STSG donor-site dressings has not yet identified an ideal dressing. Although moist dressings provide superior outcomes with regard to pain control and wound healing, there continues to be a lack of standardization. The increasing commercial availability and marketing of novel dressings necessitates the development of standardized research protocols to design better comparison studies and assess true efficacy.R01 EB021308 - NIBIB NIH HHSPublished versio

Effect of gelatin/agar bilayer film incorporated with TiO2 nanoparticles as a UV absorbent on fish oil photooxidation

This research evaluated the effect of gelatin/agar bilayer film and nanocomposites containing different concentrations of TiO2\ua0nanoparticles (0.5%, 1% and 2%) as ultraviolet (UV) and oxygen barriers on the oxidative stability of fish oil. Samples of fish oil covered with the bilayer films were stored under UV light or in darkness and with or without lids at 18\ua0\ub0C for 12\ua0days. Oil quality in terms of peroxide values (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), conjugated diene (CD), fatty acids profile and colour change (∆E) was monitored during storage. Fish oil photooxidation was hindered by increasing TiO2\ua0concentration, so that nanocomposite containing 2% of the nanoparticles could control photooxidation, similar to the samples stored in darkness. Furthermore, upon studying both photooxidation and autoxidation, the highest amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), as well as the lowest amount of changes in PV, TBA, CD and ∆E, were observed in oils covered with the nanocomposites

Thoracoscopy Vs conventional methods in the management of empyema: a prospective study

"n Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Background: Empyema is one of the most common and important thoracic diseases which can lead to some sort of debilitating consequences if does not managed properly. Surgery usually is indicated in the third stage of the disease which contains more and devastating complications that do not respond to the other treatment options. This investigation evaluates the role of thoracoscopy (minimal invasive surgical intervention) in the management of second stage of empyema."n"nMethods: In a prospective investigation, 54 patients with stage II of empyema were selected and divided in two groups. In control group, patients were treated with chest tube thoracic drainage plus antibiotics administration, on the other side, Thoracoscopic diagnosis and drainage was added to the modalities of the control group. Thoracoscopy is aimed to explore the total thoracic cavity for releasing the fibrous bands and adhesions and draining of the loculated abscess. At the end of procedure plural cavity wash out and chest tube insertion were done."n"nResults: The rate of complication was 35% and 8% (p<0.05) in control group and investigated group, respectively. The average admission days were significantly greater in control group (the investigated group got better faster) (p<0.05). The need for thoracotomy was 7 time greater in control group (p<0.05)."n"nConclusion: Application of Thoracoscopy for stage 2 of empyema is a safe modality which can be advised for all of the patients. This minimally invasive technique can decrease complications rate, need for thoracotomy and hospital admission time

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the physico-mechanical and ultraviolet light barrier properties of fish gelatin/agar bilayer film

Bilayer gelatin/agar films containing different concentrations of TiO2\ua0(0.5, 1, and 2\ua0g/100\ua0g) were prepared by incorporation of anatase titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the\ua0fish gelatin\ua0layer of the bilayers. Gelatin/agar bilayer film was produced from the monolayers using the casting method in two steps and their microstructural, physical, mechanical and optical characteristics were studied. Results showed that the addition of TiO2\ua0decreased water vapor permeability of the bilayers more than 30%, upon increasing TiO2\ua0content to 2 (g/100\ua0g). However, swelling ratio and moisture content increased with the increase in the nano-TiO2\ua0content, probably due to the hydrophilic nature of the TiO2\ua0nanoparticles. The tensile strength of the bilayer films increased from 10.80 to 13.91\ua0MPa upon increasing nano-TiO2\ua0content from 0 to 0.5 (g/100\ua0g); however, tensile strength decreased with further increase of the nanoparticle concentration. In addition, the metallic nature of nano-TiO2\ua0considerably improved the barrier properties of the bilayer films against UV light at low concentration, while it increased their opacity. This property might help in the preservation of light-sensitive foods, but more studies on real food systems are required