Evaluation of wind energy potential and electricity generation at six locations in Turkey

In this study, wind characteristics were analyzed using the wind speed data collected of the six meteorological stations in Turkey during the period 2000–2006. The annual mean wind speed of the six stations (Erzurum, Elaz??, Bingöl, Kars, Manisa and Ni?de) is obtained as 8.7, 8.5, 5.9, 6.9, 7.4 and 8.0 m/s at 10 m height, respectively. The mean annual value of Weibull shape parameter k is between 1.71 and 1.96 while the annual value of scale parameter c is between 6.81 and 9.71 m/s. A technical assessment has been made of electricity generation from four wind turbines having capacity of (600 kW, 1000 kW, 1500 kW and 2000 kW). The yearly energy output and capacity factor for the four different turbines were calculated.     

Production of sodium metaborate tetrahydrate (NaB(OH)4·2H2O) using ultrasonic irradiation

Sodium metaborate, a derivative of the borax compound, has a wide range of industrial applications. Recently, it is used as a source of boron in the production of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), which is a medium for hydrogen storage. In the present study, sodium metaborate tetrahydrate (SMT, NaB(OH)₄·2H₂O) was produced by the reaction of borax (B) with the sodium hydroxide (SH) solution under ultrasonic irradiation. The effect of the reaction parameters (amount of water, temperature, particle size, and time) on the production of sodium metaborate tetrahydrate was investigated in the present study. It was shown that the reaction parameters (amount of water, temperature, and time) played a significant role in the synthesis of sodium metaborate tetrahydrate. In addition, the concentration of characteristic B–O group in the reaction solution was quantitatively determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The optimum condition for the production process included 26% water by weight, borax particles of size ?250+150 μm and irradiation time of 60 min at 80 °C.     

Fault Detection and Diagnosis in a Food Pasteurization Process with Hidden Markov Models

Hidden Markov Models (HMM) are used to detect abnormal operation of dynamic processes and diagnose sensor and actuator faults. The method is illustrated by monitoring the operation of a pasteurization plant and diagnosing causes of abnormal operation. Process data collected under the influence of faults of different magnitude and duration in sensors and actuators are used to illustrate the use of HMM in the detection and diagnosis of process faults. Case studies with experimental data from a high‐temperature‐short‐time pasteurization system showed that HMM can diagnose the faults with certain characteristics such as fault duration and magnitude.     

OH and COOH functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes-reinforced alumina ceramic nanocomposites

Alumina ceramics reinforced with 1 wt.% single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) were fabricated via spark plasma sintering (SPS) of composite powders containing carboxyl (COOH) or hydroxyl (OH) group functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes. The samples were SPS’ed at 1600 °C under 50 MPa pressure for holding time of 5 min and at a heating rate of 4 °C/s. The effects of CNT addition having different surface functional groups on microstructure, conductivity, density and hardness were reported. It was shown that nanotube addition decreased the grain sizeof alumina from 3.17 μm to 2.11 μm for COOH-SWCNT reinforcement and to 2.28 μm for COOH-SWCNT reinforcement. The hardness values of the composites are similar for all samples but there is 4.5 and 7.5 times increase in electrical conductivity with respect to monolithic alumina for COOH-SWCNT and OH-SWCNT, respectively. It was also shown by TEM and FEG SEM observations that transgranular fracture behaviour of alumina was changed to mostly intergranular fracture mode by the addition of both types of CNTs which may be due to location of CNTs along the grain boundaries. A significant grain size reduction in alumina is considered toresult fromthe suppressing effect of CNTs during sintering.     

A comparison of regression methods for remote tracking of Parkinson’s disease progression

Remote patient tracking has recently gained increased attention, due to its lower cost and non-invasive nature. In this paper, the performance of Support Vector Machines (SVM), Least Square Support Vector Machines (LS-SVM), Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network (MLPNN), and General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) regression methods is studied in application to remote tracking of Parkinson’s disease progression. Results indicate that the LS-SVM provides the best performance among the other three, and its performance is superior to that of the latest proposed regression method published in the literature.     

A microwave-assisted route for the solid-state synthesis of lead pyrophosphate,Pb<Subscript>2</Subscript>P<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>

In this study, we have developed a new method based on microwave heating for the preparation of lead pyrophosphate compound, Pb₂P₂O₇. The favoring of microwave heating as synthesis technique is based on the fact being much faster, cleaner and economical than conventional techniques. By following this new route, the lead pyrophosphate, Pb₂P₂O₇, was obtained as a pure phase. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform IR (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques. Comparing the experimental XRD and FTIR data of the synthesized products with the reported literature data has revealed that there was mutually an excellent agreement.     

Climate-responsive strategies in vernacular architecture of Erbil city

This study examines residential architecture in the historic core of Erbil, a registered World Heritage Site, for its use of climate responsive strategies. The analysis seeks to explain the value of Erbil’s vernacular architecture with a view to adapting it to the modern city, to reduce and even eliminate mechanical cooling and heating loads for energy saving and sustainable development.     

The effects of moderately oxidised dietary oil with or without vitamin E supplementation on performance, nutrient digestibility, some blood traits, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defence of male broilers

BACKGROUND: The experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of oxidised oil with or without vitamin E on performance, nutrient digestibility, some blood traits, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defence system of male broilers. RESULTS: The supplementation of oxidised oil with or without vitamin E to the grower diets did not significantly affect performance, the pH and viscosity values of excreta and nutrient digestibilities in male broilers. Oxidised oil supplementation slightly increased plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations but did not alter plasma glucose concentration. Although malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide concentrations tended to be higher in the oxidised oil group, these increases were not significant. Birds fed the diet containing oxidised oil had significantly lower superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. However, no differences were observed in glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) activity and uric acid concentrations of broilers fed oxidised oil as compared to the control group. Dietary vitamin E supplementation decreased MDA concentration whereas increasing SOD activity, suggesting that vitamin E supplementation reduced susceptibility to lipid peroxidation. CONCLUSION: The results showed that a milder oxidative stress occurred by supplementation of moderately oxidised oil to the diet of broilers and vitamin E supplementation had been helpful in alleviating lipid peroxidation. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Microencapsulation of Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Spray Drying: Effect of Wall Materials Composition,Process Conditions,and Emulsification Method

Food and Bioprocess Technology - The objective of the study was to investigate the microencapsulation of extra virgin olive oil by spray drying to increase its stability and application area. The...