Restoration of an active MV distribution grid with a battery ESS: A real case study

In order to improve power system operation, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs) have been installed in high voltage/medium voltage stations by Distribution System Operators (DSOs) around the world. Support for restoration of MV distribution networks after a blackout or HV interruption is among the possible new functionalities of BESSs. With the aim to improve quality of service, the present paper investigates whether a BESS, installed in the HV/MV substation, can improve the restoration process indicators of a distribution grid. As a case study, an actual active distribution network of e-distribuzione, the main Italian DSO, has been explored. The existing network is located in central Italy. It supplies two municipalities of approximately 10,000 inhabitants and includes renewable generation plants. Several configurations are considered, based on: the state of the grid at blackout time; the BESS state of charge; and the involvement of Dispersed Generation (DG) in the restoration process. Three restoration plans (RPs) have been defined, involving the BESS alone, or in coordination with DG. A MATLAB®/Simulink® program has been designed to simulate the restoration process in each configuration and restoration plan. The results show that the BESS improves restoration process quality indicators in different simulated configurations, allowing the operation in controlled island mode of parts of distribution grids, during interruptions or blackout conditions. The defined restoration plans set the priority and the sequence of controlled island operations of parts of the grid to ensure a safe and better restoration. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that a BESS can be a valuable element towards an improved restoration procedure

THE KAMIL CRATER (EGYPT): A TYPE STRUCTURE FOR SMALL IMPACT CRATERS ON EARTH

The Kamil crater is a small (45 m in diameter) impact crater in southwestern Egypt (22°01'06"N, 26°05'16"E) that was discovered by Vincenzo de Michele (formerly Civico Museo di Storia Naturale, Milan, Italy) and subsequently investigated by our research group through the first Italian-Egyptian geophysical survey in 2010 and subsequent laboratory work [1–8]. The data set gathered so far provides a nearly full characterization of the impact structure and projectile (Table 1) and documents that Kamil crater is a nearly pristine structure generated by the hypervelocity impact of a small iron meteorite. As such, Kamil Crater can be considered as a type structure that could serve as ground-truth for experimental and numerical models for small impact craters on Earth. Note, for instance,,that most of our data about shock metamorphism and the physical-chemical interaction between target and projectile during impact melting at Kamil Crater [5, 8] are consistent with those obtained in analog hypervelocity impact cratering experiments by the MEMIN project [9, 10], thereby validating their experimental set up and results, at least for small-scale impacts generated by iron meteorite bodies. The aim of our paper is thus to stimulate interest in the Kamil Crater and seek for cooperative efforts to merge our field and laboratory data with experiments and numerical models

The meteorite collection of Pisa University's Museo di Storia Naturale

The historical meteorite collection of Museo di Storia Naturale, Pisa University, ispresented in this catalog. Dating back to at least 1860, the collection currently (as of June 2003) contains 30 specimens of 26 individual meteorites, representing about 50 kg of extraterrestrial material. The collection includes 2 carbonaceous chondrites, 12 ordinary chondrites, 1 achondrite, 4 stony-iron meteorites, and 7 iron meteorites, including three remarkable specimens: the main mass of Bagnone (48 kg), the fourth largest mass of Quenggouk (717.5 g), and a large (nearly) complete individual of the Siena showerfall (318.8 g)