Heat Transfer Analysis for Gas-to-Liquids Transportation Through Trans Alaska Pipeline

Gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology involves the conversion of natural gas to liquid hydrocarbons. In this article, theoretical studies have been presented to determine the feasibility of transporting GTL products through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). To successfully transport GTL through TAPS, heat loss along the route must be carefully determined. This study presents heat transfer and fluid dynamic calculations to evaluate this feasibility. Because of heat loss, the fluid temperature decreases in the direction of flow and this affects the fluid properties, which in turn influence convection coefficient and pumping power requirements. The temperature and heat loss distribution along the pipeline at different locations have been calculated. Fairly good agreement with measured oil temperatures is observed. The powers required to pump crude oil and GTL individually, against various losses have been calculated. Two GTL transportation modes have been considered; one as a pure stream of GTL and the second as a commingled mixture with crude oil. These results show that the pumping power and heat loss for GTL are less than that of the crude oil for the same volumetric flow rate. Therefore, GTL can be transported through TAPS using existing equipment at pump stations.     

Evaluation of passive microwave snow water equivalent algorithms in the depth hoar-dominated snowpack of the Kuparuk River Watershed, Alaska, USA

This research investigates the utility of passive microwave remote sensing instruments to accurately determine snow water equivalent (SWE) over large spatial extents. Three existing Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) snow water equivalent algorithms produced by Chang, Tait and Goodison were evaluated for their ability to determine snow water equivalent in a snowpack containing substantial depth hoar, large faceted snow crystals. The Kuparuk River Watershed (8140 km²) test site on the North Slope of Alaska was chosen for its snowpack containing a think depth hoar layer and long history of ground truth data. A new regional snow water equivalent algorithm was developed to determine if it could produce better results than the existing algorithms in an area known to contain significant depth hoar. The four algorithms were tested to see how well they could determine snow water equivalent: (1) on a per pixel basis, (2) across swath-averaged spatial bands of approximately 850 km², and (3) on a watershed scale. The algorithms were evaluated to see if they captured the annual spatial distribution in snow water equivalent over the watershed. Results show that the algorithms developed by Chang and from this research are generally within 3 cm of the spatially averaged snow water equivalents over the entire watershed. The algorithms produced by Chang, Tait, and in this research were able to predict the basin-wide ground measured snow water equivalent value within a percent error range from −32.4% to 24.4% in the years with a typical snowpack. None of the algorithms produce accurate results on a pixel-by-pixel scale, with errors ranging from −26% to 308%.     

Thematic accuracy of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 land cover for Alaska

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 Alaska land cover classification is the first 30-m resolution land cover product available covering the entire state of Alaska. The accuracy assessment of the NLCD 2001 Alaska land cover classification employed a geographically stratified three-stage sampling design to select the reference sample of pixels. Reference land cover class labels were determined via fixed wing aircraft, as the high resolution imagery used for determining the reference land cover classification in the conterminous U.S. was not available for most of Alaska. Overall thematic accuracy for the Alaska NLCD was 76.2% (s.e. 2.8%) at Level II (12 classes evaluated) and 83.9% (s.e. 2.1%) at Level I (6 classes evaluated) when agreement was defined as a match between the map class and either the primary or alternate reference class label. When agreement was defined as a match between the map class and primary reference label only, overall accuracy was 59.4% at Level II and 69.3% at Level I. The majority of classification errors occurred at Level I of the classification hierarchy (i.e., misclassifications were generally to a different Level I class, not to a Level II class within the same Level I class). Classification accuracy was higher for more abundant land cover classes and for pixels located in the interior of homogeneous land cover patches.     

Field Investigation of Soil Heave by a Large Diameter Chilled Gas Pipeline Experiment, Fairbanks, Alaska

A large scale 105-m-long, 0.9-m-diam chilled pipeline experiment was conducted to assess the response of a production pipeline that transits between unfrozen (seasonally frozen) and permafrost soils in discontinuous permafrost regions. Thermal and heave characteristics of the experiment for a three-year monitoring period are reported. In response to the chilled pipeline, the progressive cooling patterns within the permafrost and unfrozen soils were different, resulting in the development of a thermal boundary at the transition zone between the two thermally different soils. The absolute maximum movement of pipeline was 0.197 m near the thermal boundary, resulting in a differential heave of 0.148 m. Three distinct heave phases were identified within the unfrozen soil. Phase 1 of the first 200 days related to penetration and heave above the groundwater table and was characterized by heave rates between 0.211 and 0.237 mm/day. Phase 2 resulted in increased ice segregation due to interaction of the freez-ing front with the groundwater table. This phase lasted from approximately day200 to day 500 and corresponded to a heave rate from 0.206 to 0.313 mm/day. Phase 3 was characterized by a further decrease in the heave rate to about 0.081 mm/day and lasted from approximately day 500 to day 1,056.     

Mental Health Services for Native Americans in the 21st Century United States.

As the population of American Indians and Alaska Natives continues to expand in the 21st century United States, an increasing number of professional psychologists will be called upon to provide culturally appropriate mental health services for Native American people and their communities. This article provides a general overview of contemporary tribal America before describing the legal, political, and institutional contexts for mental health service delivery administered through the federally sponsored Indian Health Service. Recommendations for mental health professionals who desire to avoid a subtle but profound Western cultural proselytization in their therapeutic service to Native clients and their communities are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Remote sensing of vegetation and land-cover change in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems

The objective of this paper is to review research conducted over the past decade on the application of multi-temporal remote sensing for monitoring changes of Arctic tundra lands. Emphasis is placed on results from the National Science Foundation Land-Air-Ice Interactions (LAII) program and on optical remote sensing techniques. Case studies demonstrate that ground-level sensors on stationary or moving track platforms and wide-swath imaging sensors on polar orbiting satellites are particularly useful for capturing optical remote sensing data at sufficient frequency to study tundra vegetation dynamics and changes for the cloud prone Arctic. Less frequent imaging with high spatial resolution instruments on aircraft and lower orbiting satellites enable more detailed analyses of land cover change and calibration/validation of coarser resolution observations.The strongest signals of ecosystem change detected thus far appear to correspond to expansion of tundra shrubs and changes in the amount and extent of thaw lakes and ponds. Changes in shrub cover and extent have been documented by modern repeat imaging that matches archived historical aerial photography. NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) time series provide a 20-year record for determining changes in greenness that relates to photosynthetic activity, net primary production, and growing season length. The strong contrast between land materials and surface waters enables changes in lake and pond extent to be readily measured and monitored.     

Quality characteristics of imitation crab sticks made from Alaska Pollack and spent laying hen meat

Imitation crab stick (ICS) samples were divided into four treatments, a control (C) prepared with Alaska Pollack as a commercial ICS, T1, which consisted of Alaska Pollack with spent laying hen surimi collected by the pH adjust method, T2, which was composed of Alaska Pollack with spent laying hen surimi collected by the filter cake method, and T3, which consisted of Alaska Pollack with whole spent laying hen meat batter collected by the cutting method. The moisture content was significantly higher in T3 than in the other ICS samples; but, there was no significant difference in the crude protein, fat and ash content, regardless of the spent laying hen substitution methods. The lightness (L∗) and whiteness (W) was higher in the control than in the other ICS samples at 0 days of storage, whereas the yellowness (b∗) was significantly higher in T3 than in the other ICS samples. The level of polyunsaturated fatty acids was significantly higher in the control group than in the other ICS samples. Additionally, the pH increased with storage time in the spent laying hen substituted samples (T1, T2 and T3), with T1 showing a significantly higher pH during storage. The TBARS value increased with storage time in all ICS samples, with T2 showing a significantly lower TBARS value than the other ICS samples at the beginning and end of the storage periods. There was no significant difference in any sensory evaluation items among the ICS samples during storage. Thus, we assumed that T3 was better than other ICS samples, because T3 method (cutting) is much easier to collect spent laying hen surimi than T1 (pH adjust) and T2 (filter cake).     

Disinfection By-Product Formation during Long-Term Water Storage in Alaska

In many areas of Northern and Western Alaska, small streams and shallow lakes serve as community raw water supplies. These water supplies freeze completely during winter. In order to supply drinking water during the 6–9 month winter, communities store water that was treated during summer. A chlorine residual is maintained in the stored water. Raw water sources derived from surface water may be heavily laden with dissolved organic matter. At utilities where organic matter escapes treatment, the potential for accumulation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during storage is a significant health concern. The following study was performed to evaluate this potential threat. Water was collected from five operating utilities, four that normally store water for 6–9 months and one that produces drinking water year-round. Raw, filtered (i.e., unchlorinated) and “finished” (i.e., filtered and chlorinated) water samples were collected during the summer pumping season and stored in the laboratory for 8 months. In order to mimic practice in the field, the chlorine residual was maintained in the finished water for the full storage period. While the concentration of DBPs in the finished water varied over the study period, there was not a statistically significant trend from the third to the eighth month of storage. The observed DBP values were strongly a function of the type of treatment system used. Those systems passing more organic matter had higher DBP values throughout the storage period. The ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nanometers ?start(UV254)end? decreased continuously in the finished water coincident with chlorine consumption. ?startUV254end?, often used as a surrogate for DBPs, remained constant during the entire storage periodin raw and filtered water samples. Filtered water that was stored prior to chlorination accumulated fewer DBPs than finished water that was continuously chlorinated during the storage period. This result suggests that storing filtered water instead of finished water for long periods would limit DBP exposure to consumers. This conclusion was based on a comparison of DBP formation potentials (i.e., raw and filtered water) to DBPs (i.e., finished water). It is important to note that DBP formation potentials are based on a ?start24?hend?chlorine contact time. If long term storage were provided for filtered water, a smaller volume of secondary storage would still be needed to provide contact time for disinfection.