The effect on the environment of electricity privatisation

The UK's electricity supply industry (ESI) was privatised in 1989 with, it was thought at the time, little, if any, thought being given to its effect on the environment. This paper examines the effect of the Electricity Act on the fuels used in power stations, the gaseous emissions from these stations and the growth of renewable energy sources for electricity generation. It finds that, because of the increase in gas-fired generation, sulphur and carbon dioxide emissions have reduced, as has the quantity of solid wastes produced. The effect of the nonfossil fuel obligation has been to increase and diversify the use of renewable sources for electricity generation     

Green energy? Electricity in the 1990s

All conventional energy sources are now under attack from conservationists, and the changing ESI privatisation plans have cast a cloud over Britain's nuclear future. The author discusses the state of fossil fuel power production in the UK and then discusses the alternatives including renewable energy sources. The possibilities of using wind energy and a Severn barrage are discussed. The effects on the environment of renewables is also discussed     

Why protect the environment?

Virtually all current debates on the environment start with the assumption that protecting the environment is inherently a `good' thing This paper challenges this assumption from the point of view of three major societal groups: individuals; governments; and companies     

Corneal permeability of ketorolac tromethamine when formulated with tobramycin

In vitro rabbit corneal penetration studies were designed to determine the effect tobramycin (an antibiotic) has on the diffusion of ketorolac tromethamine (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory compound). Evaluation was performed in two vehicle solutions: (1) a simple sodium chloride vehicle and (11) a suitable ophthalmic formulation. Quantitation of both ketorolac tromethamine and tobramycin were performed to determine the corneal penetration of each drug. Tobramycin was found to penetrate rabbit cornea to a limited extent. Also, tobramycin proved neither to impede nor enhance ketorolac's corneal diffusion. Both compounds showed greater penetration in an ophthalmic formulation, presumably due to the effects of the preservative, benzalkonium chloride (a quaternary ammonium compound)—known for disrupting corneal integrity.     

Unit commitment in a thermal generation system with multiple pumped-storage power stations

A model is presented of the unit-commitment problem which takes into account generator maximum and minimum outputs, maximum loading and unloading rates, minimum shutdown times, and both on- and offline costs. This is formulated as a mixed-integer problem and solved by using a branch and bound method. The linear-programming problems that arise during the search procedure in the branch and bound algorithm are converted into capacitated transshipment problems which can be solved efficiently by a graphically-based solution procedure. Multiple pumped-storage power stations are then scheduled by a search procedure based on the principle that pumping can only take place if the resulting hydrogeneration reduces total production costs. This is applied iteratively to an initial thermal unit schedule until no further cost improvement occurs. Finally, the computational requirements of this method, both with and without pumped-storage stations, are shown to be less than those of other existing techniques and to be applicable to systems of realistic size.     

Influence of ferrous sulfate on the solubility,partition coefficient,and stability of mycophenolic acid and the ester mycophenolate mofetil

Studies were performed to (1) evaluate whether the presence of iron affected the physicochemical properties of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and mycophenolic acid (MPA), and (2) determine whether alteration of these properties was indicative of formation of an MMF-iron complex. The solubility, stability (chemical reactivity), and partitioning properties of MMF and MPA were evaluated over a pH range of 2-7 in the presence and absence of ferrous sulfate. In addition, the solubility and partitioning properties of MMF were assessed after the MMF drug product, CellCept capsules, was combined with an iron tablet (Fero-Gradumet, ferrous sulfate, tablets). The results of studies showed that: The solubility of MMF in the presence of ferrous sulfate was generally unaffected over a pH range of 2-7; a small increase in solubility was observed in pH 5.2 buffer solution. The solubility of MPA decreased in pH 5.2 and 7.0 buffer solutions. Both MMF and MPA were more stable in the presence of ferrous sulfate at pH 2.0; ferrous sulfate had no effect on the stability of MMF and MPA at pH 7.0. Overall, the partitioning of MMF and MPA was unaffected by the addition of ferrous sulfate. The solubility and partitioning of MMF from CellCept capsules combined with Fero-Gradumet (ferrous sulfate) tablets showed a twofold increase in aqueous solubility of MMF as well as increased concentration of MMF in both the n-octanol and aqueous phases, leading to a decrease in the octanol/water partition coefficient due to a reduction in pH of the aqueous phase. Based on these results, it was concluded that the physicochemical properties of MMF and MPA were generally not affected by the presence of ferrous sulfate. Further, the presence of ferrous sulfate did not suggest the formation of an MMF-iron complex.     

A green world-the role of the engineer

In this article an attempt is made to broaden the environmental debate beyond the normal limits of energy and CFCs into wider engineering industry, and to quantify the role of the engineer in these issues. Problems associated with the energy industry, stratospheric ozone depletion, heavy metals, persistent organics and wastes are discussed in depth. From this discussion, further aspects of the engineer's role are identified     

Operational planning for pumped storage power station using heuristic techniques

A computer algorithm is described that coordinates, economically, the operation of a large pumped storage scheme with an existing thermal generation system. It uses heuristic techniques to establish a system model for operation, based largely on the manual merit order method, and in incorporates several operating constraints, including generator maximum and minimum generation levels, minimum shutdown times and loading and unloading rates. Designed specifically as an operational planning tool, the algorithm produces a unit commitment and load schedule for every half-hour interval of any load curve supplied. By costing this schedule with and without the pumped storage scheme, a pumping cost is obtained that can then be compared with other methods of frequency control. Finally, by extending the schedule to include hydrogeneration, the economic benefit of using the scheme in this mode may also be evaluated.     

Green energy?

The UK gets nearly all its energy from the fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas etc.) and nuclear power, approximately 15% being consumed in the form of electricity. It is now well known that the burning of fossil fuels is accompanied by atmospheric pollution in the form of acid rain, ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. Renewable energy sources, e.g. wind, solar, tidal, wave, hydroelectric and geothermal power do not at present contribute significantly to the UK energy supply and are also accompanied by adverse effects on the environment. The best hope for meeting future energy needs may lie in containing energy consumption, increased generation efficiency and an expanded nuclear power programme. The author discusses the problems of acid rain and the greenhouse effect and describes several forms of renewable energy: wind energy, solar energy, tidal power, wave power, hydroelectricity, biomass geothermal power and nuclear power