22 research outputs found
Review of the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS)2006.
The Wildlife and Pollution contract supports the long-term monitoring programme called the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) which monitors selected pollutants, pesticides and biocides in predatory birds in Britain. The programme was started in the early 1960s and was instrumental in securing the phased withdrawals of the permitted uses of organochlorine (OC) insecticides. It has since provided a measure of the effectiveness of regulatory bans in reducing the exposure of wildlife. The PBMS subsequently expanded to encompass a range of other contaminants and pesticides (specifically polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury (Hg) and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, thereby reflecting contemporary conservation and regulatory concerns. The PBMS is run by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). The other long-term funding stakeholder is the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the yearly results of the PBMS monitoring are reported to the JNCC. The data from the scheme enables the JNCC and Country Agencies to monitor trends, asses risk to wildlife, and advise on the effectiveness of measures to restrict the use and entry into the environment of particular compounds
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Externally fired combined cycle demonstration
Externally Fired Combined Cycles (EFCCs) can increase the amount of electricity produced from ash bearing fuels up to 40%, with overall powerplant efficiencies in excess of 45%. Achieving such high efficiencies requires high temperature-high pressure air heaters capable of driving modern gas turbines from gas streams containing the products of coal combustion. A pilot plant has been constructed in Kennebunk, Maine to provide proof of concept and evaluation of system components. Tests using pulverized Western Pennsylvania bituminous coal have been carried out since April, 1995. The ceramic air heater extracts energy from the products of coal combustion to power a gas turbine. This air heater has operated at gas inlet temperatures over 1,095 C and pressures over 7.0 atm without damage to the ceramic tube string components. Stable gas turbine operation has been achieved with energy input from the air heater and a supplementary gas fired combustor. Efforts are underway to fire the cycle on coal only, and to increase the duration of the test runs. Air heater improvements are being implemented and evaluated. These improvements include installation of a second pass of ceramic tubes and evaluation of corrosion resistant coatings on the ceramic tubes