Net Energy Payback and CO2 Emissions from Three Midwestern Wind Farms: An Update

This paper updates a life-cycle net energy analysis and carbon dioxide emissions analysis of three Midwestern utility-scale wind systems. Both the Energy Payback Ratio (EPR) and CO₂ analysis results provide useful data for policy discussions regarding an efficient and low-carbon energy mix. The EPR is the amount of electrical energy produced for the lifetime of the power plant divided by the total amount of energy required to procure and transport the materials, build, operate, and decommission the power plants. The CO₂ analysis for each power plant was calculated from the life-cycle energy input data. A previous study also analyzed coal and nuclear fission power plants. At the time of that study, two of the three wind systems had less than a full year of generation data to project the life-cycle energy production. This study updates the analysis of three wind systems with an additional four to eight years of operating data. The EPR for the utility-scale wind systems ranges from a low of 11 for a two-turbine system in Wisconsin to 28 for a 143-turbine system in southwestern Minnesota. The EPR is 11 for coal, 25 for fission with gas centrifuge enriched uranium and 7 for gaseous diffusion enriched uranium. The normalized CO₂ emissions, in tonnes of CO₂ per GW_eh, ranges from 14 to 33 for the wind systems, 974 for coal, and 10 and 34 for nuclear fission using gas centrifuge and gaseous diffusion enriched uranium, respectively.     

Biological and Geochemical Record of Anthropogenic Impacts in Recent Sediments from Lake Pupuke, Auckland City, New Zealand

Frozen sediment cores from Lake Pupuke in Auckland City, New Zealand, contain a high resolution decadal to annual scale record of changing lake paleoenvironments and geochemistry that reflects changing landuse and hydrology in the catchment over the past c. 190 years. A reliable chronology is available from AMS ¹⁴C and ²¹⁰Pb dating of the sediments, with the timing of the older part of the record supported by the first appearance of pollen of introduced Pinus and Plantago lanceolata associated with European settlement of Auckland in the early 1840s. Diatom stratigraphy, sediment elemental and carbon isotope geochemistry reflect changes in sediment sources and lake conditions commensurate with European development of the Lake Pupuke catchment, in particular enhanced algal productivity controlled by the influx of nutrients after c. 1920 AD. Attempts to prevent nuisance algal blooms in 1933, 1934 and 1939 using CuSO₄ addition produced Cu spikes in the sediment that allowed confirmation of the accuracy of the ²¹⁰Pb chronology. Hence, the elemental and isotopic composition of the Lake Pupuke sediments reflect the timing of significant anthropogenic activities, rather than climatic variations, that have occurred within the watershed over the past c. 190 years. The comparison of records of land use change in the catchment with the multi-proxy record of changes in the sediments usually allowed unambiguous identification of the signatures of change and their causes.     

Fast computation of Hankel Transform using orthonormal exponential approximation of complex kernel function

The computation of electromagnetic (EM) fields, for 1-D layered earth model, requires evaluation of Hankel Transform (HT) of the EM kernel function. The digital filtering is the most widely used technique to evaluate HT integrals. However, it has some obvious shortcomings. We present an alternative scheme, based on an orthonormal exponential approximation of the kernel function, for evaluating HT integrals. This approximation of the kernel function was chosen because the analytical solution of HT of an exponential function is readily available in literature. This expansion reduces the integral to a simple algebraic sum. The implementation of such a scheme requires that the weights and the exponents of the exponential function be estimated. The exponents were estimated through a guided search algorithm while the weights were obtained using Marquardt matrix inversion method. The algorithm was tested on analytical HT pairs available in literature. The results are compared with those obtained using the digital filtering technique with Anderson filters. The field curves for four types (A-, K-, H-and Q-type) of 3-layer earth models are generated using the present scheme and compared with the corresponding curves obtained using the Anderson sc heme. It is concluded that the present scheme is more accurate than the Anderson scheme     

地学自由曲面径向基函数网络重建的详细算法

径向基函数(RadialBasisFunction,简称RBF)神经网络是一种理想的地学离散数据网格化工具,能够适应各种不同分布形式和边界条件的数据,收敛速度较快,可以逼近任何复杂曲面。这里详细介绍了RBF神经网络的算法。适当径向基函数的形式和偏差系数是使用RBF神经网络作地学曲面重建的关键。大量的实际数据验证结果表明,当选用Gauss型径向基函数时,一般可获得比较理想的网格化效果,同时具备"曲面平滑"和"拟合度高"的特点。     

基于MAPGIS明码文件的绘图转换系统开发及应用

介绍了基于MAPGIS明码文件开发出的MAPGIS明码格式转换系统软件的结构及功能,并说明该软件在地球物理、地球化学领域中的应用。     

山西沁水盆地煤层气成藏的微观动力能条件研究

煤层气成藏的微观动力能条件主要包括煤储层的孔隙—裂隙系统、煤储层的生气作用和储气作用两个方面。以山西沁水盆地为例,深入剖析了煤储层的孔隙—裂隙系统及其发育历程、煤储层的生气作用与能量聚散,阐明了煤层气成藏的微观动力能对成藏效应的控制作用。结果表明:构造作用对储层渗透率具有明显的控制作用,成烃增压致使能量聚集,成为盖层突破作用的主要驱动力,而能量放散则主要是通过煤储层孔隙—裂隙系统的产生、发展。根据上述研究成果,沁水盆地煤层气成藏的地质区划结果为:盆地南部的有利区带为阳城和晋城的北部地区,包括潘庄、樊庄、郑庄等地区;盆地中部的有利区带为安泽—沁源地区,位于盆地西斜坡的中南部;盆地北部的可能有利区带为寿阳东南部地区,位于榆次东北部和阳泉西南部之间。     

注水煤体应力能 V-f 转化与释放机理研究

文章分析了在煤层注水湿润后煤体弹性能的转化与消耗过程，给出在湿润状态下能量由体变弹性能向形变弹性能转化进而自耗释放的理论模型。指出在坚硬干燥煤体中，注水后在水压力和毛细力的切割作用下，裂隙大量扩展，丰富了自由裂隙，产生更多的裂隙启发(裂隙切口)，使原来近似的刚性煤体变成由裂隙分割的块体组成的组合体或半组合体。裂隙中水的粘滞作用及水分子吸附力使块体问粘性结合、刚度降低、形变增大。煤体形变弹性能自身消耗释放的形式有3种：产生剪应力导致自由裂隙问错动摩擦；强度降低，使裂隙启发被劈裂成自由裂隙；湿润煤体蠕变性增强，产生整体性移动作功。初步给出能量消耗的量化表达式。通过这一理论，能建立煤层注水湿润度与冲击地压灾害发生的更直接的关系，使进一步量化该关系成为可能。从更深层次解释煤层注水防治冲击地压的机理。     

淮河流域土壤湿度异常的时空分布特征及其与气候异常关系的初步研究

利用中国东部1990~2000年旬平均土壤湿度、降水和气温观测资料，通过对0~50 cm层次土壤湿度进行旋转主分量分析 (REOF)，重点分析了淮河流域土壤湿度的时空分布特征, 并初步研究了土壤湿度与前期、同期和后期不同时段降水与气温的关系。发现春季以30 cm为界，30 cm以上各层土壤湿度异常的第一旋转空间模态十分相似, 其大值中心主要位于淮河流域，而30 cm以下 (30~50 cm) 各层的第二旋转空间模态与之亦十分类似, 因此称该模态为“淮河型”，而夏季和秋季虽然该模态也很显著, 但特征不如春季突出。该模态在各层次土壤中具有明显的持续性特征，均存在40旬左右的显著周期；并与前期和同期降水（气温）呈显著正 (负) 相关关系，与约半年后的降水 (气温) 呈负 (正) 相关关系。