Optimizing site selection for hydrogen production in Iceland

While the world energy demand is steadily growing, the concern for the environmental aspects of energy use and natural resource exploitation has increased. A new market has emerged for renewable energy, often referred to as “green energy”. This paper presents an optimization model developed as part of a feasibility study on the idea of exporting renewable energy in the form of hydrogen, from Iceland to the continent of Europe.     

Growth and structural properties of Mg:C thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

We investigate the growth and structure properties of Mg:C thin films. The films are prepared using a dc magnetron sputtering discharge where the electrical resistance over the films is monitored during growth in-situ with a four point probe setup. The structural properties of the films are investigated using X-ray diffraction measurements and the elemental composition and binding in the films is determined using elastic recoil detection analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that during co-sputtering the carbon flux influences the initial stages of the film growth. The films are made of polycrystalline magnesium grains embedded in a carbon network, the size of which depends on the carbon content, but amorphous phases cannot be excluded. The XPS measurements show the presence of carbidic carbon whereas X-ray measurements find no Mg:C phases. The overall stability of the films is found to depend on the carbon content, where stable films capped with a 14 nm Pd layer cannot be obtained with carbon content above 18%.     

Projectification in Western economies: A comparative study of Germany,Norway and Iceland

Projectification has become a buzzword. Although repeated claims of an increasing projectification were often supported by illustrative, case-based evidence, a systematic and complete measurement of projectification of an entire economy - including all sectors and project types - is still missing. A more precise and reliable measurement of the degree of projectification can be helpful for underlying the importance of project management both for research and practice. This paper presents the results of a comparative study in three Western economies: Germany, Norway, and Iceland. Projectification was measured as the share of project work on total work. This allows for a systematic comparison between countries and sectors. We show that although differences exist among the countries regarding their size and industry structure, the share of project work in advanced economies seems to be about one third. However, comparing the different countries demonstrates that important differences exist for individual sectors.     

Design fire curves for tunnels

Various ways exist to represent a design fire curve for tunnels. These can include different fire growth rates or combinations of fire growth rates with constant levels of heat release rate (HRR) coupled to a decay period. This means that the curve has to be represented with different mathematical expressions for different time periods. A more convenient way is to describe the design fire curve with a single mathematical expression. Such a curve has been presented by the author (H. Ingason, Fire development in large tunnel fires, 8th International Symposium on Fire Safety Science, Beijing, China, 18–23 September 2005, pp. 1497–1508), but it does not include a constant HRR period. This paper presents a new, single exponential, design fire curve with a constant maximum HRR. A presentation of available design curves is given as well.     

Study of critical velocity and backlayering length in longitudinally ventilated tunnel fires

Experimental tests and theoretical analyses were conducted to investigate the critical velocity together with the backlayering length in tunnel fires. The experiments were performed in two longitudinally ventilated model tunnels. The proposed correlations for critical velocity are found to comply well with experimental data in both tunnels. The critical Froude number and the critical Richardson number were analyzed using the experimental data. The backlayering length was related to the ratio of longitudinal ventilation velocity to critical velocity. Experimental data show that the relation between the ratio of ventilation velocity to critical velocity and the dimensionless backlayering length follows an exponential relation. A correlation based on experimental data to predict the backlayering length is proposed. Further, comparison of experimental data of critical velocity and backlayering length with results from large-scale tests shows that there is a good agreement in both scales. The effect of accident vehicle obstruction on critical velocity and backlayering length was also analyzed. Experimental data show that the decrease in rate of critical velocity due to obstruction is slightly greater than the ratio of cross-sectional area of the model vehicle to tunnel cross-sectional area, and the backlayering length with an accident vehicle set inside the tunnel gets smaller.     

A magnetron sputtering system for the preparation of patterned thin films and in situ thin film electrical resistance measurements

We describe a versatile three gun magnetron sputtering system with a custom made sample holder for in situ electrical resistance measurements, both during film growth and ambient changes on film electrical properties. The sample holder allows for the preparation of patterned thin film structures, using up to five different shadow masks without breaking vacuum. We show how the system is used to monitor the electrical resistance of thin metallic films during growth and to study the thermodynamics of hydrogen uptake in metallic thin films. Furthermore, we demonstrate the growth of thin film capacitors, where patterned films are created using shadow masks.     

The use of the subsurface in Reykjavik, Iceland

The geological setting of the Reykjavik, Iceland, area is characterized by young volcanic rocks close to the spreading axis of the Mid-Atlantic Rift. The subsurface has riches in the form of cold water in the most permeable rocks, hot water in the less permeable rocks, and in the geothermal steam fields at volcanoes in the spreading axis of the Mid-Atlantic Rift. Underground space excavations have not been performed in the Reykjavik area, nor have any serious plans been made for their use.