This diploma thesis deals with the problematics of fan cooling towers. The very first part of the text is research, focusing mainly on the theory of cooling and the function of fan cooling towers in general. The following chapter deals with the water resource management of the Dukovany nuclear power plant and the specification of its objects of forced draft cooling towers. The second part describes a computational model created to determine the cooling performance of these towers under the given input conditions. In the following chapters, the results from the computational model are compared with the available data from warranty measurements and with the provided characteristics. The final pages deal with the study of the influence of changes in input parameters on the cooling performance and the research of the behavior of the cooling towers under extreme weather conditions.

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In this thesis natural science is combined with environmental psychology in order to determine how deforestation and subsequent agricultural expansion in the Peruvian highland jungle has affected the natural environment and rural livelihoods. This region is part of one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth and is also exposed to high pressure from deforestation that threatens the ecosystems as well as the well-being of local populations. The problem stretches beyond the upper Amazon since the region constitutes headwaters to theAmazon Riverand is part of the most important forest ecosystem of the world. This study evaluates the relative controls of human induced land-cover change and natural factors on the chemical status of soils, stream waters, and sediments, mainly through a spatial sampling design. The field work was located to two adjacent river basins underlain by sedimentary rocks. Streams of 48 independent sub-basins, the two main rivers, 80 upland soil sites (weakly developed soils on sandstone and siltstone) and four vertical profiles of floodplain sediments were sampled and analysed for major and trace elements, including nutrients and potentially toxic metals. Further, perceptions of environmental changes were investigated through a combination of quantitative and qualitative interview data collected from 51 smallholder farmers. Soils of primary forests were found to be chemically similar to those of regenerated forests and agricultural land-covers (pastures and coffee plantations), and differences in chemical concentrations between streams draining areas to varying degrees covered by forest were assigned to natural variability. In addition, the chemical composition of alluvial deposits was similar in the two drainage basins despite a substantial difference in exploitation degree (30 % versus 70 % cleared from forest). Thus, no evidence was found of long-term changes in the geochemistry of the Subandean river basins as a result of the conversion of primary forest to agricultural land-uses. The farmers, however, perceived an overall increase in environmental degradation as well as a change towards drier and warmer climatic conditions. The climate change was reported to be the main factor responsible for a negative trend in life quality (rural livelihoods). The results may be used in the work of identifying priorities and key factors necessary for environmental and socioeconomic sustainability in the upper Amazon. / En esta tesis se combina la ciencia natural con la psicología ambiental con el fin de determinar como la ampliación de la frontera agrícola ha afectado el medio ambiente y los medios de vida en la selva alta del Perú. Esta región forma parte de una de las zonas con mayor biodiversidad en el planeta y a su vez está expuesta a una alta presión de la deforestación que amenaza a los ecosistemas, así como el bienestar de la población en esta zona. Así mismo, este problema se hace sentir mas allá de la selva alta ya que esta zona forma parte de las cabeceras del río Amazonas y pertenece al ecosistema forestal más importante del mundo. Este estudio evalúa los efectos de la agricultura de tala y quema, en comparación con los factores naturales, sobre las propiedades químicas de los suelos, las quebradas, y los sedimentos, principalmente a través de un diseño de muestreo espacial. El trabajo de campo se realizó en dos cuencas fluviales adyacentes que están compuestas por rocas sedimentarias. Quebradas de 48 sub-cuencas independientes, dos ríos principales, 80 localidades de suelo (poco desarrollados sobre areniscas y limolitas) y cuatro perfiles verticales de sedimentos fluviales fueron muestreados y analizados para los elementos mayores y menores, incluyendo nutrientes y metales potencialmente tóxicos. También se han investigado las percepciones sobre los cambios ambientales usando una combinación de datos cuantitativos y cualitativos, recopilados a través de entrevistas a 51 agricultores. Según los resultados no hubo diferencias significativas entre la química de suelos de bosques primarios y tierras agrícolas (pastos, plantaciones de café y de bosques secundarios). En cuanto a las quebradas, las diferencias en las concentraciones de sustancias químicas entre sub-cuencas afectadas por la deforestación en diferentes grados fueron asignados a una variabilidad natural. Además, la composición química de los depósitos aluviales fue similar en las dos cuencas a pesar de una diferencia sustancial en el grado de explotación (30 % en comparación con 70 % deforestado). Por lo tanto, no se encontró evidencia de cambios persistentes en la geoquímica de las cuencas Subandinas como resultado de la conversión de bosques a tierras agrícolas. Sin embargo los agricultores percibieron una tendencia general de aumento de la degradación del medio ambiente, así como un cambio en el clima a condiciones más secas y cálidas, lo cual fue reportado como el principal factor responsable de un cambio negativo en la calidad de vida. Estos resultados pueden ser utilizados en el trabajo de identificación de prioridades y factores claves para la sostenibilidad ambiental y socioeconómica en la selva alta.

Pericopsis elata is an African forestry species commercialized under the vernacular names afrormosia or assamela. It is one of the principal species commonly exploited for timber in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in a lesser extent in Cameroon and Congo. In view of its sustainable resource exploitation, the species is in centre of numerous polemics notably in the European Union. It is one of the rare commercialized species that produce wood, since 1992, as listed in the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) annex II specifying that “the exploitation of afrormosia necessitate the deliverance and a prior presentation of exploitation permit”. The most important reserves of afrormosia are found in DRC. This doctoral thesis presents the ecology of this particular tree and its behaviour regarding forestry exploitation. It allows to inform the international organisms such as CITES as well as the national policy-makers on the vulnerability of afrormosia and to propose appropriate measures that can avoid future unsustainable/unregulated exploitation activities/Pericopsis elata est une espèce forestière africaine commercialisée sous les noms d’afrormosia ou d’assamela. Elle est une des principales espèces exploitées pour le bois d’œuvre en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) et dans une moindre mesure au Cameroun et au Congo. Elle est au centre de nombreuses polémiques, notamment dans l’Union européenne, en ce qui concerne la durabilité de son exploitation. C’est une des rares espèces commerciales productrice de bois d’œuvre listée, depuis 1992, dans l’Annexe II de la CITES (Convention sur le commerce international des espèces en danger d’extinction) qui spécifie que « L'exportation d'un spécimen d'une espèce inscrite à l'Annexe II nécessite la délivrance et la présentation préalables d'un permis d'exportation ». Les plus grandes réserves d’afrormosia se trouvent en RDC. Cette thèse de doctorat porte sur l’écologie de cet arbre et sur son comportement vis-à-vis de l’exploitation forestière. Elle permet d’informer les organismes internationaux comme la CITES et les décideurs nationaux sur la vulnérabilité de l’afrormosia et de proposer des mesures à prendre pour que l’espèce ne soit pas menacée par une exploitation mal conduite et non régulée / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Time series data are of great importance for monitoring vegetation phenology in the dry sub-humid regions where change in land cover has influence on biomass productivity. However few studies have inquired into examining the impact of rainfall and land cover change on vegetation phenology. This study explores Seasonal Trend Analysis (STA) approach in order to investigate overall greenness, peak of annual greenness and timing of annual greenness in the seasonal NDVI cycle. Phenological pattern for the start of season (SOS) and end of season (EOS) was also examined across different land cover types in four selected locations. A significant increase in overall greenness (amplitude 0) and a significant decrease in other greenness trend maps (amplitude 1 and phase 1) was observed over the study period. Moreover significant positive trends in overall annual rainfall (amplitude 0) was found which follows similar pattern with vegetation trend. Variation in the timing of peak of greenness (phase 1) was seen in the four selected locations, this indicate a change in phenological trend. Additionally, strong relationship was revealed by the result of the pixel-wise regression between NDVI and rainfall. Change in vegetation phenology in the study area is attributed to climatic variability than anthropogenic activities.

This diploma thesis is divided into three parts: theoretical, calculation and experimental measurement. The issue of humid air and air-conditioning in winter stadiums is elaborately analysed in the theoretical part. In the calculation part, the dessertation focuses on the optimization of current draft of hockey hall air conditioning system. The hall is now in operation during the season, which means from September to March. In the dissertation are discussed two variants of the draft. The first variant is draft upgrade to year-round operation with condensing dehumidification. The second option is solved as a combination of air handler unit system and absorption dehumidification. This variant is also designed for seasonal and year-round operation of the ice rink. At the end of the dissertation are all of them compared in terms of annual costs. The experimental measurement is carried out on dehumidification of air from areas with high water gains, in this case swimming pool hall model. This problematics is solved by changing the speed of ventilator and using Peltier generator.

With a changing climate and an increased competition over water resources for agricultural irrigation, the need to improve crop water productivity using time and cost-efficient methodologies have become critically important. The Malwathu Oya river basin in Sri Lanka is struggling with water scarcity, which threatens food security and the income of farmers. In this study, freely available remote sensed land- and water productivity data from FAO’s WaPOR database was evaluated. The evaluation consisted of a comparison of the WaPOR data and primary collected field data using the crop water model, AquaCrop, for three irrigation schemes in the Malwathu Oya river basin. Additionally, the spatio-temporal variability in crop water use within and across these three irrigation schemes was assessed using indicators derived from the WaPOR portal. The evaluation was conducted for the main cultivation season, called Maha, between 2010 and 2021.  The WaPOR and AquaCrop actual evapotranspiration (ETa) values were found to be in relatively good agreement (312–537 and 400–465 mm respectively). WaPOR yield values (2.5–2.9 ton/ha) were however lower compared to the AquaCrop simulated yield values and historical yield data (4.6–5.7 and 4.4–5.6 ton/ha respectively). Difference in calculation methodology, possible sources of error in WaPOR conversion calculations and limitations in accuracy caused by cloud coverage when collecting satellite data could be explanations for this. Prior knowledge and accurate allocation of the crop type and parameters used in conversion calculations in WaPOR is therefore of significant influence. From the spatio-temporal variation assessment with WaPOR indicators, a fair uniformity of the water distribution within the irrigation schemes was shown (CV 11–19 %). The beneficial water use (BWU) in the irrigation schemes showed lower values (50–90 % allocated to T) for years when the available water amount was higher, which could be explained by the higher rate of water lost through soil evaporation. Crop water productivity (CWP) values showed higher values (about 0.70 kgDM/m3) when the available water amount was higher, indicating that yield production is sensitive to water-scarce environments. Applying a yield boundary function, representing the best attainable yield in relation to water resource, showed that there is potential to achieve the same yield with less amount of water. There are thus possibilities for improved water productivity in the three irrigation schemes investigated. For future research it is recommended to perform a sensitivity analysis for WaPOR and ground truth with yield data to obtain a better understanding of potential limitations. To obtain more precise site descriptions it is also recommended to ground truth AquaCrop with yield and soil data.